Engineering Electron Transport Pathways in Cobalt-Doped g-C3N4 Photocatalysts: Enhanced Tetracycline Degradation Through Interlayer Bridging

The exploration of visible light-responsive, efficient, and durable photocatalysts is of great concern for removing organic dyes and antibiotics from wastewater. This work involved the preparation of a CoCN0.02 photocatalyst by simple thermal polymerization. The synthesized catalysts were mainly used for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) pollutants. The photocatalytic efficiency of one of the catalysts reached 97% in 30 min, which was much higher than that of pure g-C3N4 (CN). The consistency between the results of kinetic simulations and characterization supported the strong role of Co intercalation sites in photocatalysis. Additionally, using the active species capture experiments, the predominant active species were determined to be •OH, •O2−, and h+, thereby allowing us to explore the electron transportation and redox reactions during the process of photocatalysis. This investigation establishes a basis for exploring the evolution of active species in the context of antibiotic pollutants.