A synergistic photocatalysis and Fenton-like degradation system for efficient removal of tetracycline with Z-scheme MIL-88@CuS heterojunction.

The widespread discharge of antibiotic residues into natural water environment have become a new water pollution problem, posing significant risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Herein, we report the utilization of a Z-scheme MIL-88@CuS nanocomposite that functions as a synergistic photocatalysis-Fenton-like system for the degradation of tetracycline antibiotics (TC). Mechanistic investigations reveal that the built-in electric field and Z-scheme electron transfer channel in MIL-88@CuS greatly facilitates charge separation and accelerates electron transfer to the CuS surface, thus boosting Cu(II)/Cu(I) circulation and producing more active hydroxyl radical (·OH) for TC oxidation degradation. As a result, the as-prepared MIL-88@CuS exhibits excellent photocatalytic TC degradation activity with the removal efficiency of 93% in 30 min under visible-light irradiation, much higher than that of simple MIL-88 or CuS samples. This work may provide an efficient and low-cost strategy for the remediation of antibiotic-contaminated water.