Exploring The In‐Situ Development Of A 1 D/2 D Gadolinium Iron Oxide/Tungsten Disulfide Photocatalyst To Improve Tetracycline Degradation Mediated By Visible Light

In the field of photocatalysis, heterojunction photocatalysts have garnered a lot of attention due to their high‐efficiency interfacial charge‐transfer property and their nanoarchitecture. Herein, GdFeO 3 /WS 2 is successfully synthesized by the in‐situ growth method and holds significant catalytic properties and efficient degradation for tetracycline. Using WS 2 as a co‐catalyst could reduce e ‐ and h + recombination, improving GdFeO 3 ’s photocatalytic performance. The GdFeO 3 /WS 2 possesses a bandgap of 1.9 eV, 178.9 m 2 g −1 specific surface area, 0.2 nm pore size, and a lifespan of 6 ns. The optimal GdFeO 3 /WS 2 photocatalyst exhibits a maximum removal of 96.2 % at a tetracycline concentration of 10 mg/L, a pH of 3, and 40 mg of photocatalyst in an irradiation time of 90 min. Tetracycline has a higher photocatalytic efficiency in visible light (96.2 %) than in sunlight (72.6 %). Trapping tests revealed that the major reactive species for tetracycline removal in an aqueous solution are ⋅⋅OH, and ⋅⋅O 2 ‐ . The recycle experiment shows no deactivation of the GdFeO 3 /WS 2 photocatalyst after 5 recycles. This study sheds light on the rational design of the GdFeO 3 /WS 2 photocatalyst as a potential material for treating wastewater.