Al cluster oxide modified a hematite/P3HT ternary Z-scheme photocatalyst with excellent photocatalytic performance: A discussion of the mechanism

[Display omitted] •A new type of Z-scheme photocatalysis system that was constructed using Al cluster oxide.•P3HT/Al cluster oxide/hematite ternary photocatalyst exhibited an excellent degradation effect.•Possible degradation mechanism and degradation pathway are proposed. The Z-scheme photocatalyst is valuable for use in polluted water purification, and there is a need to develop a cheap and efficient photocatalyst. This study presents a new type of Z-scheme photocatalytic material composed of hematite and P3HT, also, the Al cluster oxides were first used as a charge transfer mediator to construct Z-scheme photocatalysis system. In addition, by analyzing the electron rearrangement phenomenon exhibited by the XPS spectrum and the experimental results of the in-situ illumination XPS, it is found that Al cluster is beneficial to the electron multi-step charge transfer process and Al cluster favors the construction of Z-scheme structure between hematite and P3HT. This Poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT)/Al cluster oxide/hematite ternary photocatalyst exhibited an excellent degradation effect on bisphenol A and tetracycline. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the Al cluster as a charge mediator in the Z-scheme, providing new Z-scheme catalyst construction idea which is beneficial to the popularization and use of Z-scheme system in practical applications, and providing a new material for water pollution purification.