CoAl-Layered double hydroxides coupled with BiOCl as Z-Scheme heterostructure for enhanced photocatalytic removal of antibiotic pollutants under visible light

A novel BiOCl/CoAl-LDH direct Z-scheme photocatalyst was successfully designed and fabricated via pH adjustment and solvent thermal method. Owing to the unique energy band structure of BiOCl and CoAl-LDH, the two materials were combined to form a Z-type heterojunctions. Due to the high hydrolysis capacity of Bi 3+ , the production of composites is regulated by adjusting the pH. The composite with 15% CoAl-LDH (BCA-15) was discovered to have the optimal degradation efficiency by measuring the absorbance. After 140 min of visible light irradiation, 92.49% of tetracycline was degraded. In addition, the BCA-15 composite showed remarkable reusability and stability after five cycles. According to the results of the free radical capture experiment, ·O 2 − and h + played essential roles in photocatalytic degradation. Finally, a possible direct Z heterostructure for the degradation of tetracycline was proposed. The composite with 15% CoAl-LDH would be beneficial to the control of water pollution and the treatment of the surrounding environment.