Reactive species-driven dual-functional UiO-66/ZnO composite: Sonocatalytic degradation of antibiotics and inhibition of Escherichia coli.

This study successfully synthesized UiO-66/ZnO composites via a hydrothermal method, and their structure and morphology were comprehensively characterized. Using tetracycline (TC) as a model pollutant, the sonocatalytic performance of the composite was systematically evaluated. The optimal degradation conditions were determined as follows: UiO-66 mass ratio of 30% in composite, catalyst dosage of 1 g/L, initial TC concentration of 50 mg/L, ultrasonic power of 500 W, and reaction time of 60 min, achieving a removal efficiency of 95.61 ± 0.82%. in addition, possible TC degradation pathways were identified using LC-MS analysis. The results of evaluating the antibacterial properties of this material showed that the antibacterial rate of 25 μg/mL UZ-30 against Escherichia coli (E. coli) was only 9.69 ± 3.13%. When combined with ultrasound, the antibacterial rate against E. coli could reach 98.54 ± 0.51%. The outstanding performance of the UiO-66/ZnO composite was attributed to the formation of a type-II heterojunction, which effectively separated the photothermal-generated charge carriers produced under ultrasonic excitation, thereby generating more active species. This not only led to the effective degradation of antibiotics but also enabled efficient elimination of bacteria. The UiO-66/ZnO composite material prepared in this study possessed dual functions of degrading antibiotic pollution to prevent the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms, which had broad application prospects in the field of combined water purification treatment and disinfection.