Band structure regulation and photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline by covalent organic frameworks

Abstract

Antibiotic pollution poses significant threats to public health and ecosystems; hence, the development of highly efficient catalysts for the degradation of these pollutants is greatly needed. In this study, three Schiff-base COFs constructed from 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene (TAPB) and different functional group R-substituted terephthalaldehyde-R (R = –CHCH₂, –OCH₃ and –OH) were successfully synthesized through a solvothermal evaporation approach, and then their performance in photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics by using tetracycline as a model was investigated. By integrating experimental evaluations with theoretical calculations, 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene (TAPB)-2,5-divinylterephthalaldehyde (DVA)-COF was identified as the most effective photocatalyst among the series, attributed to its favorable electronic structure and improved charge separation efficiency. This work provides an effective strategy for the rational design of high-performance COF-based photocatalysts by simply introducing different functional groups to regulate the band structure and optimize their photocatalytic performance.