Persulfate activation boosted highly efficient photodegradation of norfloxacin catalyzed by Pt selectively loading LaOCl (001)

The spatial loading of redox cocatalysts on different faces of semiconductor single crystals is an effective approach to construct efficient photocatalysts. This work selectively deposits Pt nanoparticles on the electron-rich (001) face of LaOCl catalyst (Pt/LaOCl-P). The Pt/LaOCl-P catalyst with selective deposition on (001) facet exhibited higher photocatalytic activity for NOR degradation than the catalyst with random deposition on the entire surface (Pt/LaOCl-R). It indicates that the separation of facet charges upon photoexcitation may be a unique pathway for efficient photocatalysts. After the addition of persulfate, the generated sulfate radicals have a synergistic effect with the original hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals, which further improves the photodegradation performance. In addition, the effects of catalyst dosage and pH on photodegradation were discussed and the recycling performance of the materials was tested. The possible degradation pathways and mechanism of NOR were degraded by DFT calculation and LC-MS analysis. [Display omitted] •It is the first report of facet-selectively supported Pt heterojunction on LaOCl catalyst.•2Pt/LaOCl-P catalyst heterojunction exhibits high efficiency and great stability.•Facet selective loading improves the separation efficiency and transfer rate of carriers.•LSPR effect of Pt enhances light absorption and charge separation of catalysts.•Heterojunction and PS synergistically promote more oxidative radicals for photodegradation.