Preparation of Ag SPR-promoted TiO2-{001}/HTiOF3 photocatalyst with oxygen vacancies for highly efficient degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

In order to solve the problem of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) wastewater pollution, a photocatalyst for the efficient utilization of sunlight was proposed. In this work, a new method for the synthesis of three-dimensional flower-like Ag/TiO2-{001}/HTiOF3 photocatalyst was applied, where surface oxygen vacancies can induce Ag nanoparticles (NPs) to disperse on the surface of the photocatalyst, which avoids the aggregation of Ag NPs into large particles. The appropriate mesoporous structure of the photocatalyst makes TCH have a stronger affinity on its surface, which is more conducive to the subsequent photodegradation. Furthermore, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag NPs extends the response region of photocatalyst to visible light, and the heterojunction formed with TiO2/HTiOF3 further stimulates the electrons in the oxygen vacancy region and inhibits the recombination of carriers. 10-Ag/TiO2/HTiOF3 showed the best degradation activity (96%) for TCH when the ratio of Ag and TiO2-{001}/HTiOF3 was 10%. In addition, the Ag/TiO2-{001}/HTiOF3 photocatalyst has excellent photocatalytic activity, structural stability and sedimentation performance. The prepared catalyst has practical application prospect. ·The synergistic effect of Ag SPR and oxygen vacancy at TiO2-{001}/HTiOF3 interface was proposed·The Ag/TiO2-{001}/HTiOF3 photocatalyst exhabit excellent photocatalytic performance toward tetracycline hydrochloride·Ag/TiO2-{001}/HTiOF3 photocatalyst has good reusability and sedimentation