Facile synthesis of solar light-driven Z-scheme Ag2CO3/TNS-001 photocatalyst for the effective degradation of naproxen: Mechanisms and degradation pathways

[Display omitted] •A novel Z-scheme heterojunction Ag2CO3/TNS-001 was successfully fabricated.•The Ag2CO3/TNS-001 demonstrated excellent sunlight-driven activity for the degradation of naproxen.•DFT calculations facilitated an elucidation of the reactive sites and degradation pathways involved.•The charge shift and degradation reaction mechanisms were investigated. The development of efficient solar light-driven catalyst materials is considered a promising strategy for the photocatalytic eradication of contaminants. Herein, a novel Z-scheme Ag2CO3/TNS-001 nanocomposite photocatalyst with excellent solar-light response was synthesized using a simple hydrothermal and deposition reaction. The morphology, chemical structure, and optical property of Z-scheme composites were systematically investigated by TEM, XRD, FI-IR, XPS, and UV–vis, etc. techniques. The Ag2CO3/TNS-001 exhibited superior photocatalytic activity for removal of naproxen (NAP) under solar light irradiation, demonstrating kinetics of 40.7, 23.9, and 6.9 times higher than that of Ag2CO3, P25, and TNS-001, respectively. This remarkably improved photocatalytic efficiency was attributed to the synergistic effects of highly active (001) facets, efficient solar light response, and enhanced separation of photogenerated carriers. The scavenging experiments indicated that h+ was the dominant species during the photocatalytic degradation of NAP. Together with the analyses of EPR and band structure, a potential Z-scheme mechanism was confirmed. Moreover, the degradation pathway of NAP was revealed via intermediate detection and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The chlorella acute toxicity test further indicated that mineralization translated to a reduction in the toxicity of the NAP solution. This work offers a promising strategy for the design of efficient Z-scheme photocatalysts, while exploring new insights into the elimination of emerging organic pollutants.