Highly efficient degradation of tetracycline by activated peroxymonosulfate over MoS₂/ZnO heterostructure nanocomposites

Antibiotics, such as tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), are persistent pollutants in the environment due to their difficult degradation properties. In this study, a MoS2/ZnO heterostructure nanocomposite was synthesized and evaluated for its photocatalytic performance in degrading TC under simulated sunlight irradiation. The degradation rate of TC in the MoS2/ZnO/PMS system reached 99.8% after 30 min, surpassing the rates observed in both ZnO and MoS2/ZnO systems. The presence of active species, including superoxide radicals (O-center dot(2)-), hydroxyl radicals ((OH)-O-center dot), sulfate (SO4 center dot-) and singlet oxygen (O-1(2)), was confirmed through trapping experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (ESR) analysis. The MoS2/ZnO heterostructure effectively suppressed the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers, leading to improved photocatalytic efficiency. The results demonstrate the potential of the MoS2/ZnO/PMS system as a low cost and efficient method for the removal of TC from water. This study contributes to the development of photocatalytic materials for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants in aqueous environments.