Fabrication of self-doped TiO₂-coated zeolite nanostructure with high surface area for efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminant

Degrading organic pollutants in water has grown increasingly urgent nowadays. Photocatalytic degradation technology shows great promise in organic pollutant degradation, though practical implementation is still challenging. In this work, self-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles and high-surface-area Ti³⁺-TiO₂-coated zeolite nanostructures were prepared by a combined sol-gel/calcination method. The incorporation of zeolite dramatically expanded surface area while generating additional reactive sites, thereby improving photocatalytic performance. The synthesized zeolite@Ti³⁺-TiO₂ photocatalyst demonstrated the highest photocatalytic tetracycline degradation performance under visible light. The relevant rate constant was 0.0423 min⁻¹, approximately 6.61 times that of the Ti³⁺-TiO₂ sample, primarily due to the formation of micro-mesoporous structures and high dispersion of the Ti³⁺-TiO₂ over the zeolite for promoted surface reactions and charge separation. Current work highlights the significant advantages of rationally designed zeolite-based nanostructures for high-performance semiconductor photocatalysis.