Engineering of Bi2O2CO3/Ti3C2Tx heterojunctions co-embedded with surface and interface oxygen vacancies for boosted photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin

In this work, Bi2O2CO3/Ti3C2Tx heterostructured photocatalysts with rich oxygen vacancies (OVs) have been successfully synthesized via an electrostatic assembly followed by the hydrothermal treatment. The photocatalytic degradation ratio of levofloxacin, an important type of fluoroquinolone antibiotic, reaches as high as 95.4 % in 80 min of solar irradiation, exceeding that of bare Bi2O2CO3 (68.1 %). The photocatalytic mechanism along with the degradation pathways are detailedly exploited. It is elucidated that the extended light absorption range and enhanced separation rate of photo-generated charge carriers induced by the embedded surface and interface OVs are responsible for the improvement of photoactivity. This work can contribute to the design of efficient photocatalytic systems with elaborate defects/vacancies for environmental remediation purposes and beyond.

Automated summary

In this work, Bi2O2CO3/Ti3C2Tx heterostructured photocatalysts with rich oxygen vacancies were successfully synthesized, showing significantly improved photocatalytic degradation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The photocatalytic mechanism and degradation pathways were elucidated, highlighting the importance of oxygen vacancies in enhancing photoactivity.