Surface engineering induced superstructure Ta₂O_5-x mesocrystals for enhanced visible light photocatalytic antibiotic...

Mesocrystals are types of fascinating multifunctional materials in fabricating rapid charge transport pathways, and surface engineering could be considered as a significant influencing factor in boosting charge separation for efficient photocatalytic application. In this work, surface engineered Ta₂O_5-x mesocrystals were synthesized by facile alkali treatment strategy for enhanced visible light photocatalytic tetracycline degradation. The highly enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the highly increased surface areas and surface hydroxyl groups to compare with those of commercial Ta₂O₅ and pristine Ta₂O_5-x mesocrystals, which could provide more surface reactive sites and high electron density center for trapping photo-generated holes. Besides, possible tetracycline transformation pathways over surface engineered Ta₂O_5-x mesocrystals and visible light photocatalytic mechanism were also proposed in this work. Current work also provides a facile strategy for regulating surface property of ultrawide bandgaps semiconductors for enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance.