Synthesis of a novel ZnO/TiO2-nanorod MXene heterostructured nanophotocatalyst for the removal pharmaceutical ceftriaxone sodium from aqueous solution under simulated sunlight

ZnO nanospherical particles supported TiO2-nanorod MXene heterostructured nanophotocatalyst were synthesized to photodegrade harmful ceftriaxone sodium compound in aqueous solution under simulated solar light irradiation. Under optimum conditions, the prepared nanoheterostructured photocatalyst demonstrated excellent performance in the elimination of ceftriaxone sodium compound with an evaluated efficiency of 99.4%. Initial concentrations, pH solution, catalyst loading, kinetic investigations, optical bandgap, regeneration, and reusability were investigated in consideration of this study. At pH 7.0, the produced ZnO/TiO2-nanorod MXene was successfully activated. It was found that ZnO nanoparticles improved ceftriaxone sodium degradation efficiency on TiO2-MXene by acting as photogenerated transport of the e(-)/h(+), lowering the recombination rate. Under ideal conditions, the maximal absorption capacity was 4.99882 mg/g. Furthermore, the produced ZnO/TiO2-nanorod MXene has a remarkable optical bandgap. The prepared nano-heterostructured photocatalyst conforms well to the pseudo-first order model, with a Chi-square of 0.08899. The ZnO/TiO2-nanorod MXene heterostructured nanophotocatalyst retained its great performance with remarkable durability despite numerous cycles of usage. According to the results, the suggested nanoheterojunction photocatalyst might be used in a water treatment plant to eliminate the danger of pharmaceutical waste in the aqueous medium.