Rationally constructed synergy between dual-vacancies and Z-scheme heterostructured MoS2-x/g-C3N4/Ca--Fe2O3 for high-performance photodegradation of sulfamethoxazole antibiotic from aqueous solution

The primary outline of the work is the synergy of integrating two vastly exploited modulating techniques, namely defect engineering and heterostructure construction, for substantial amendment in photocatalytic performance. The dual vacancy-induced MoS2-x/g-C3N4/Ca-alpha-Fe2O3 system has been rationally constructed through a stepwise facile hydrothermal strategy to effectively abate sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) antibiotic. The designed MoS2-x/gC3N4/Ca-alpha-Fe2O3 system showed upgraded optoelectronic features furnished by the rational combination of vacancy engineering and dual Z-scheme charge transfer mode. As a result of the improvement in the optical absorption along with isolation and interfacial charge migration, the photo-Fenton assisted degradation of SMZ reached up to 86.3% within 90 min of light exposure. The corresponding rate of the reaction (0.0129 min-1) showed a multi-fold increment in the case of MoS2-x/g-C3N4/Ca-alpha-Fe2O3 photocatalyst from the bare counterparts. Also, the structural studies of SMZ using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the degraded products analysis via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) helped to deduce the photodegradation pathways more insightfully. This work can facilitate new comprehensions for combining defect engineering and interfacial multicomponent systems for effective environmental remediation.