Transforming Waste Water with Thiophene-Based Photocatalysts

A recent study explored a new approach to improve photocatalytic performance by using alternating donor-acceptor (D-A) units in graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). The researchers created a series of metal-free photocatalysts, named CNBTC-X, by combining g-C3N4 with different amounts of 5-bromo-2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde (BTC). One of these, CNBTC-50, stood out for its ability to degrade tetracycline (TC) and reduce CO2 effectively under visible light. This unique structure helped separate and transfer photoinduced carriers, enhancing the photocatalytic properties.CNBTC-50 achieved an impressive 94. 6% TC removal and increased the reaction rate by about 3. 87 times compared to g-C3N4 alone. The study also looked at how reaction conditions like catalyst concentration, pH, and TC levels affected degradation. They used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to track TC breakdown pathways. Remarkably, CNBTC-50 also excelled in photocatalytic CO2 reduction, producing CO and CH4 at rates 10. 68 and 5. 98 times greater than g-C3N4. This work aims to guide the development of new, nonmetal D-A structured catalysts that can tackle antibiotic pollution and carbon dioxide reduction simultaneously.