Photocatalytic self-cleaning NaTaO3@Ti3C2Tx MXene membranes for efficient antibiotics removal

Photocatalytic technology with high oxidative activity has been considered promising for eliminating fouling of nanofiltration (NF) membranes when used in organic pollutant removal. Herein, we report a photocatalytic self-cleaning NF membrane composed by two dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene and NaTaO3 nanoparticles with excellent permeability and antibiotics removal efficiency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to verify the successful preparation of the photocatalytic self-cleaning membrane. The membrane with the NaTaO3 nanoparticles loading of 8 mg (NM-8) exhibited excellent rejection (>99.67%) and water permeability (90.79–112.50 L m−2 h−1·bar−1) for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), ciprofloxacin (CIP), methylene blue (MB), and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT). The removal efficiencies of the membrane for TC, CIP, MB, and MBT during the photocatalytic degradation process were 75.18%, 70.13%, 90.04% and 93.12%, respectively. Moreover, the chemical and optical properties were investigated by zeta potential, water contact angle, and UV–vis spectrum. The mechanism of photodegradation of pollutants by the prepared NaTaO3@Ti3C2Tx MXene membranes was further elucidated. This work not only deepens the construction of photocatalytic NF membranes using two dimensional materials, but also provides a new strategy for the efficient removal of antibiotics from wastewater. A series of Ti3C2Tx MXene-based nanofiltration membranes with variable interlayer spacings and reduced band gap energies (Eg) were fabricated by integrating the outstanding photocatalytic performance of NaTaO3 nanoparticles and the separation property of Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets, possessing enhanced photocatalytic self-cleaning property and water permeability. [Display omitted] •NaTaO3@Ti3C2Tx MXene photocatalytic nanofiltration membrane was constructed for antibiotics removal.•NaTaO3 incorporation effectively adjusts the Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets layer spacing and enhanced water permeability.•NaTaO3@Ti3C2Tx MXene membrane exhibits efficient photocatalytic performance and self-cleaning properties.•The NaTaO3@Ti3C2Tx MXene membrane exhibits a narrower bandgap and improves light utilization.