0D/2D Co3O4/TiO2 Z-Scheme heterojunction for boosted photocatalytic degradation and mechanism investigation

[Display omitted] •A 0D/2D Co3O4/TiO2 Z-scheme heterojunction was synthesized and proved.•The optimal nanohybrid could photodegrade 95.6 % enrofloxacin within 100 min.•The built-in electric field and the matched energy band cause Z-scheme system.•Z-scheme system could hinder electron-hole recombination and boost charge transfer.•Degradation pathway was deduced from Gaussian calculation and GC–MS analysis. The development of stable, efficient photocatalyst for environmental antibiotics degradation is great significant and remains a major challenge. Herein, zero dimensional Co3O4 nanodots are grown in situ onto two dimensional TiO2 nanosheets, successfully producing a Z-scheme heterojunction Co3O4/TiO2 photocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of enrofloxacin. The synthesized nanohybrid exhibits superior photodegradation performance (0.0269 min−1 for enrofloxacin) and excellent stability (four cycles). The matched energy bands allow the formation of the Z-scheme heterojunction, and the built-in electric field provides the reaction driving force. The formed Z-scheme heterojunction can simultaneously inhibit photoinduced electron-hole recombination, boost photoinduced charge carrier transfer, and produce more active electrons and holes, therefore generating more active species for eventual photocatalytic degradation. In addition, a the possible enrofloxacin degradation pathway was proposed based on simulated calculations and GCMS analysis. This work can inspire further design and construction of Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts.