Modular Design of Hollow Pancake-Shaped TiO2/Fe2O3 Nanoreactor Derived from Dual MOFs and Its Excellent Photo-Fenton Catalytic Activity towards Tetracycline

Jul 10, 2026

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Antibiotics in wastewater cause severe environmental pollution and health risks, and photo-Fenton degradation using iron-based semiconductors offers an effective route. A dual MOF was thermally decomposed into TiO2/Fe2O3 (TF-3–350), preserving the original morphology while preventing nanoparticle agglomeration. The mesoporous, partially hollow structure (≤10 nm) forms a micro-reactor that increases active sites and shortens mass/charge-transfer distances. A Z-scheme heterojunction improves carrier separation, while Fe2O3/H2O2-derived oxygen radicals and TiOOH synergistically degrade tetracycline. TF-3–350 achieves 97.4% removal in 140 min with enhanced performance. DFT, LC-MS, and QSAR validate electron-transfer pathways and assess intermediate toxicity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

Introduction

Antibiotics in wastewater and limitations of conventional treatments

Photo-Fenton technology and roles of Fe2O3 and TiO2

Z-scheme heterojunction strategy and existing challenges

Journal of Alloys and Compounds 1026 (2025) 180470 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Alloys and Compounds journal [homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jalcom](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jalcom) | Modular design of hollow pancake-shaped TiO2/Fe2O3 nanoreactor derived from dual MOFs and its excellent photo-Fenton catalytic activity towards tetracycline Yuning Jin a, Tingting Zhana, Xiaojing Zhou a, Na Mab, Wei Daia,*,1 a Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China b College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China | | | | --- | --- | --- | | A R T I C L E I N F O | | A B S T R A C T | | Keywords: Photocatalytic Dual MOFTiO2@Fe2O3 Z-scheme heterojunction Tetracycline DFT | | Antibiotics in wastewater have posed severe environmental pollution and health issues, and the photo-Fenton process using iron-based semiconductors is an effective method for degrading antibiotics in water. To further enhance the photo-Fenton catalytic efficiency and stability, this work thermally decomposed a dual MOF into TiO2/Fe2O3 (TF-3–350), retaining the morphology of the original dual MOF and effectively preventing the agglomeration of metal oxide nanoparticles. TF-3–350 possessed mesoporous structures within 10 nm, a rich specific surface area, and a partially hollow structure, which provided a micro-reactor environment for photocatalysis, increasing the number of active sites and reducing the distance for mass and charge transfer. On the one hand, forming a Z-scheme heterojunction between TiO2 and Fe2O3 facilitates charge and hole separation. On the other hand, oxygen radicals produced from the Fe2O3 and H2O2 photo-Fenton process, along with TiOOH structures formed between TiO2 and H2O2, synergistically contributed to the degradation of tetracycline (TC). Asa result, TF-3–350 achieved 97.4 % degradation of TC within 140 minutes, with photocatalytic performance improved by 13.8 %, 24.2 %, and 21.5 % compared to single components and their mixtures, respectively. Additionally, this work employed density functional theory (DFT) calculations and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to investigate the pathways of photo-induced electron transfer and photocatalytic degradation. Finally, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis was conducted to assess the toxicity of degradation intermediates, confirming the efficacy of the photocatalytic process. This work provides new insights for dual MOF-derived metal oxides in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water. | 1. Introduction In recent decades, antibiotics have been extensively applied in the medical field and livestock industry. However, due to incomplete metabolism in both humans and animals, antibiotics discharged into wastewater have led to severe environmental pollution and health issues. Antibiotics, notably tetracycline hydrochloride, are chemically stable, and traditional adsorption or biodegradation methods fail to fully degrade them [1,2]. Therefore, there is a need for a more efficient approach to remove refractory organic molecules. Photo-Fenton technology can effectively degrade organic pollutants in water by utilizing photo-generated electrons and holes from photocatalysts, as well as hydroxyl radicals (•OH) produced from thereaction of iron ions with hydrogen peroxide [3]. Fe2O3, with good biocompatibility, relatively low production cost, and a suitable bandgap to absorb visible light, is a widely studied photo-Fenton catalyst. Nevertheless, due to the high recombination rate of photogenerated carriers, Fe2O3 exhibits poor photo-Fenton activity; it requires specific pH conditions for optimal performance, typically in acidic media; and it may generate secondary pollutants such as ferric sludge and deactiv

FAQs

What material design strategy is used to create the TiO2/Fe2O3 nanoreactor?

The work thermally decomposes a dual MOF into TiO2/Fe2O3 (TF-3–350), retaining the dual-MOF morphology to prevent metal-oxide nanoparticle agglomeration while forming mesoporous and partially hollow structures.

How does the Z-scheme heterojunction contribute to tetracycline degradation?

A Z-scheme heterojunction between TiO2 and Fe2O3 facilitates charge and hole separation, improving the efficiency of photo-Fenton catalysis.

What evidence is used to study degradation mechanisms and toxicity?

DFT calculations and LC-MS are used to investigate photo-induced electron-transfer pathways and photocatalytic degradation routes, and QSAR analysis is applied to evaluate the toxicity of degradation intermediates.

Jul 10, 2026

Upload by Liam