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

Abstract

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 (˙O₂⁻), hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), sulfate (SO₄˙⁻) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂), 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.