Strategies of tuning catalysts for efficient photodegradation of antibiotics in water environments: a review

Abstract

The photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics is a very promising technique to solve the pollution issues of antibiotics in water. Furthermore, catalysts play a critical role in the photocatalytic process. This article provides the first comprehensive review on the strategies of tuning catalysts for efficient photodegradation of antibiotics. It is shown that the doping of metals and nonmetals, coupling semiconductors, hydrogenation, ligand-to-metal charge transfer effect, and perovskite structure construction are widely exploited to improve visible light activity. Supporting catalysts on mesoporous materials, morphology (size and shape) modification of catalysts, and deposition of metals on the catalysts are demonstrated as efficient approaches for the enhancement of photodegradation efficiency. The generation pathways for reactive oxygen species overi the catalysts, the influencing factors in the photodegradation, and the assessment methods for catalyst performance are evaluated. Finally, the challenges and future research directions are discussed.