Synthesis and Modification of Zn-doped TiO2 Nanoparticles for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline.

The synthesis of Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles by solgel method was investigated in this study, as well as its modification by H2 O2 . The catalyst was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, UV-visible reflectance spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that doping Zn into TiO2 nanoparticles could inhibit the transformation from anatase phase to rutile phase. Zn existed as the second valence oxidation state in the Zn-doped TiO2 . Zn-doped TiO2 that was synthesized by 5% Zn doping at 450°C exhibited the best photocatalytic activity. Then, the H2 O2 modification further enhanced the photocatalytic activity. Zn doping and H2 O2 modifying narrowed the band gap and efficiently increased the optical absorption in visible region. The optimal degradation rate of tetracycline by Zn-doped TiO2 and H2 O2 modified Zn-doped TiO2 was 85.27% and 88.14%. Peroxide groups were detected in XPS analysis of H2 O2 modified Zn-doped TiO2 , favoring the adsorption of visible light. Furthermore, Zn-doped TiO2 modified by H2 O2 had relatively good reusability, exhibiting a potential practical application for tetracycline's photocatalytic degradation.