Low-cost and eco-friendly synthesis of Mn-doped Tl2WO4 nanostructures for efficient visible light photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in water

Water contamination from industrialization, drug use, and discharged sewage containing antibiotics is a growing concern. Photocatalytic water remediation using semiconductor catalysts is a promising approach to remove antibiotics from aquatic environments. However, high-tech semiconductor photocatalysts with reasonable costs and superior performance are still needed. In this study, we demonstrate visible light photodegradation of common antibiotics using nanostructures of Mn-doped thallium tungstate, which were synthesized using a low-cost and eco-friendly method. The ultrafine Mn doped Tl2WO4 in 35 nm size achieved by ultrasonic method. The best morphology and structure were obtained using 30 W ultrasonic waves for 15 min in the presence of Triton X-100 as a capping agent. We examined the photocatalytic activities of the produced Mn-doped Tl2WO4 nanoparticles on antibiotics such as amoxicillin (AMX), penicillin G (PCN), cephalexin (CN), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and azithromycin (AZN). The percentage of the degradation was 94%, 81%, 78%, 68% and 80% for AMX, CN, CIP and AZN respectively in presence of the UV light after 90 min of photocatalysis without the use of any oxidizing agent. Also, The yield of photocatalyst in presence of the visible light was 72%, 69%, 57%,63% and 61% for AMX, CN, CIP and AZN respectively. This study presents the initial documentation of the straightforward and low-temperature synthesis process of Mn-doped Tl2WO4 and its associated photocatalytic activity.