Streamlined fabrication of AuPtRh trimetallic nanoparticles supported on Ti₃C₂MXene for enhanced photocatalytic activity in cephalosporins degradation

The escalating prevalence of cephalosporin antibiotics in wastewater poses a serious threat to public health and environmental balance. Thus, it is crucial to develop effective methods for removing cephalosporin antibiotics from water sources. Herein, we propose the use of AuPtRh trimetallic nanoparticles supported on Ti(3)C(2)MXene as a photocatalyst for the degradation of cephalosporin antibiotics. Initially, AuPtRh nanoparticles were uniformly grown onto Ti(3)C(2)MXene sheets using one-step reduction technique. The prepared AuPtRh/Ti(3)C(2)MXene exhibited a complete degradation of cefixime and ceftriaxone sodium, while an impressive degradation efficiency of 91.58 % for cephalexin was achieved after 60 min of exposure to visible light, surpassing the performance of its individual AuPtRh nanoparticles and Ti(3)C(2)MXene. The enhanced photoactivity of AuPtRh/Ti(3)C(2)MXene was resulted from improved light absorption capacity and efficient generation, separation, and transfer of charge carriers driven by the formation of heterojunction between AuPtRh and Ti(3)C(2)MXene. Electron paramagnetic resonance and radicals trapping experiments results revealed that center dot O-2(-) and h(+) are the principal reactive species governing the degradation of cephalosporins. The photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability and could be reused four times without significant loss in efficiency. Our study highlights the potential of MXene composites for environmental remediation, offering insights into designing sustainable AuPtRh/Ti(3)C(2)MXene photocatalyst for water pollutant degradation.