Ce-Fe bimetallic oxide derived from Prussian blue precursors presents enhanced photodegradation ability for tetracycline under visible light: Its controlled morphology and mechanism studies

The overuse of antibiotics may lead to increased bacterial resistance in the environment, and the advanced oxidation processes (AOP) is an environmental method to solve this problem. In this work, a series of novel Ce-Fe bimetallic oxides (CFO) were synthesized by the pyrolysis of Ce-Fe Prussian blue precursors (Ce-Fe PBAs), which shows excellent ability for the photodegradation of tetracycline (TC). The Ce-Fe Prussian blue precursors with corn-like, coral-like and snowflake shapes were obtained by coprecipitation method and its shape could be controlled by adjusting the synthesis temperature and the molar ratio of Ce 3+ /[Fe(CN) 6 ] 4- . The systematical characterization results show that the CFO presents porous structure, with homogeneous dispersion of both metals and abundant oxygen vacancies. The corn-like CFO synthesized at room-temperature (20 °C) with 1:1 molar ratio has the largest specific surface area and the strongest photocurrent response. The TC could be photodegraded over 86% within 90 min under visible light by CFO. The mechanism studies verified the generation and intensity of ·OH and ·O 2 - playing a key role in the degradation of TC. This synthetic technology can pave the way for developing more active complex metal oxide for the treatment of antibiotic contamination. Corn-like, coral-like and snowflake shapes of Ce-Fe bimetallic oxide with porous structure, high dispersion and abundant oxygen vacancies were controllably synthesized by the pyrolysis of Ce-Fe Prussian blue precursors. The Ce-Fe bimetallic oxides exhibited efficient degradation for TC due to the synergistic effect of ·OH and ·O 2 - . • Corn-like, coral-like and snowflake shapes of Ce-Fe bimetallic oxides were obtained by pyrolysis of Ce-Fe Prussian blue. • The in-situ growth of bimetallic oxides results in porous structure, high dispersion and abundant oxygen vacancies. • Ce-Fe bimetallic oxides exhibited efficient degradation for TC due to the synergistic effect of ·OH and ·O 2 - .