Novel visible-light-driven SrCoO/AgPO heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic performance for tetracycline degradation

The semiconductor photocatalytic technology has been considerably studied due to its excellent catalytic performance in water pollution control. Herein, in this study, novel SrCoO/AgPO composite materials with different SrCoO content were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal synthesis method. The characteristics of the as-prepared samples were detected through SEM/HRTEM, XRD, UV-vis DRS, PL, ESR, FT-IR, and XPS techniques, and then, the photocatalytic performance of SrCoO/AgPO toward the degradation of tetracycline was investigated. When the mass ratio of SrCoO and AgPO in the composite was 1:1.5, the degradation rate constant of tetracycline in SrCoO/AgPO (1:1.5) system is 0.0102 min, which is 1.7 times that of the AgPO, and 3.78 times that of the SrCoO. In addition, reactive species were also analyzed through the free radical trapping experiment and DMPO spin-trapping ESR spectra analysis, showing that OH, h, and Oparticipated in the catalytic degradation process of tetracycline to varying degrees. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of SrCoO/AgPO was also proposed.