A novel Bi₂MoO₆/BiOCl₀.₇I₀.₃ 2D/2D S-scheme photocatalyst with triple-driven charge separation for enhanced tetracycline hydrochloride degradation

The abuse of antibiotics leads to environmental contamination by residues, disrupting ecological balance and threatening human health, which requires urgent intervention. Photocatalysis is a safe and environmentally friendly technique for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride. S-scheme heterojunction can improve the separation efficiency and redox capacity of photogenerated carriers, which is a promising method to improve the photocatalytic performance. However, S-scheme heterojunction still face challenges such as poor photogenic carrier migration rates at the interface and lack of active sites on the surface. Morphology control and Van der Waals (VDW) heterostructure construction are considered effective approaches to further improve photocatalytic performance. Hence, A novel Bi₂MoO₆/BiOCl₀.₇I₀.₃ (BMO-BOCI) photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by integrating morphology control, S-scheme heterostructure, and Van der Waals heterostructure modification strategies. Experimental results indicate that the BMO-BOCI 2D/2D S-scheme VDW heterojunction exhibits excellent photocatalytic performance in degrading tetracycline hydrochloride. In addition, both experimental results and theoretical calculations have confirmed the charge transfer mechanism of the S-scheme. The degradation pathway of tetracycline hydrochloride, along with its associated biotoxicity, has also been systematically analyzed. This study provides a theoretical foundation and experimental support for designing S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts to efficient pollutant degradation. A novel Bi 2 MoO 6 / BiOCl 0.7 I 0.3 2D /2D S-scheme Van der Waals heterojunction photocatalyst efficiently degrades tetracycline hydrochloride. The enhancement of catalyst performance is mainly attributed to the triple drive of S-scheme heterojunctions, van der Waals heterojunctions and morphology regulation, which promotes the effective migration of carriers. Through experiments and theoretical analyses, the charge transfer mechanism, degradation pathways and the biological toxicity of the products were deeply understood. • The reduced function promotes photogenerated carriers migration at the interface. • Effectively shortened migration distance and more surface active sites. • Enhanced separation efficiency and redox capacity of photogenerated carriers. • Superior photocatalytic activity for nitrogen fixation.