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Facile construction of heterogeneous Ag3PO4/AgCl photocatalyst for effective removal of norfloxacin: degradation pathways and mechanism

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Abstract

This study investigates the degradation of norfloxacin (NOF) using Ag3PO4/AgCl composite photocatalysts prepared via the in situ ion exchange method. The photocatalytic performance of the Ag3PO4/AgCl composite photocatalysts with different Ag3PO4 to AgCl ratios was estimated by the decomposition of NOF. The results indicated that the Ag3PO4/AgCl composite photocatalysts demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability under visible light irradiation. This was attributed to the higher separation efficiency of photo-induced carriers in the composites, as indicated by photocurrent density and EIS measurements. Furthermore, the degradation process of NOF was investigated in detail through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, revealing its mineralization behavior and decomposition pathways. Overall, these findings shed light on the potential application of Ag3PO4/AgCl composite photocatalysts for the effective degradation of NOF.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. 

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Funding

This work was supported by Guangxi Youth Natural Science Foundation Project (2018GXNSFBA050056) and the Scientific research Foundation of Guilin University of Technology (GLUTQD2018006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 54100, People’s Republic of China

    Liangyi Wu, Tingting Du, Youyong Pang, Botian Liu, Ling Li, Yongping Liu, Huidan Lv & Bin Huang

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  1. Liangyi Wu
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  8. Bin Huang
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Contributions

YP, YL contributed to the conception of the study; LW, TD performed the experiment; YP, BL, LL, YL contributed significantly to analysis and manuscript preparation with constructive discussions; YP, LW, TD performed the data analyses and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Youyong Pang.

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Wu, L., Du, T., Pang, Y. et al. Facile construction of heterogeneous Ag3PO4/AgCl photocatalyst for effective removal of norfloxacin: degradation pathways and mechanism. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 1422 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-10778-z

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