La-doped ZnCr-layered Double Hydroxide with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity for Tetracycline Hydrochloride Removal

A series of lanthanum-doped ZnCr-layered double hydroxide (La/ZnCr-LDH) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a facial hydrothermal method and their photocatalytic activity for degradation tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) were evaluated under visible light irradiation. The structure and physicochemical properties of the as-synthesized photocatalysts were well characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalyst with La doping content of 10 % (molar ratio La3+/(La3++Cr3+), La/ZnCr-LDH-10) has optimal performance for TCH removal (87.2 %) among all synthesized photocatalysts. Radical trapping experiments and Valence Band-XPS (VB-XPS) were used to propose a possible photocatalytic degradation process for TCH by La/ZnCr-LDH-10 photocatalyst. This strategy can be used to modify other photocatalysts for efficient removal of organic pollution in the environment. A series of lanthanum-doped ZnCr-layered double hydroxide (La/ZnCr-LDH) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a facial hydrothermal method and their photocatalytic activity for degradation tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) were evaluated under visible light irradiation. The photocatalyst with La doping content of 10 % (molar ratio La3+/(La3++Cr3+), La/ZnCr-LDH-10) has optimal performance for TCH removal (87.2 %) among all synthesized photocatalysts. Radical trapping experiments and Valence Band-XPS (VB-XPS) were used to propose a possible photocatalytic degradation process for TCH by La/ZnCr-LDH-10 photocatalyst. image