STUDY ON THE SYNTHESIS OF g-C₃N₄/LaFeCuO₃ HYBRID MATERIALS FOR THE DEGRADATION OF CIPROFLOXACIN

In this study, the photocatalysts g-C₃N₄, LaFeCuO₃, and the composite 10%g-C₃N₄/LaFeCuO₃ were prepared using a combination of sol-gel, pyrolysis, and ultrasonic-assisted synthesis methods.Their surface characteristics, including the crystal structure, elemental composition, morphology, optical absorption, and electron-hole recombination, were investigated through XRD, EDX, FE-SEM, UV-vis DRS, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The role of ammonium persulfate agent (APS) in the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) under light irradiation in the absence of photocatalysts was also examined. Results indicated that APS generated highly oxidative radicals (SO₄•⁻ and •OH), contributing significantly to the degradation of CIP. The optimal APS volume was 0.8 mL of 0.25M APS, achieving 82.35% CIP degradation after 180 minutes. In the presence of both APS and photocatalysts, LaFeCuO₃, g-C₃N₄, and 10%g-C₃N₄/LaFeCuO₃ materials achieved degradation efficiencies of 81.78%, 78.61%, and 96.3%, respectively, under the same experimental conditions, specifically, a CIP concentration of 20 ppm, photocatalyst loading of 1.5 g/L, and solution pH of 4.6. This improvement is attributed to the enhanced formation of free radicals facilitated by the presence of the photocatalysts.