Synthesis of visible-light-activated CeO_2-x/BiCrO₃ photocatalysts with S-scheme mechanism: Effectual performances in detoxification of various antibiotics and organic pollutants

In today's world, the development of an efficient water treatment strategy requires a prospective approach for the production of active and stable photocatalysts. The construction of heterojunctions with different semiconductors is a promising procedure for improving photocatalytic performances. In the present research, binary CeO_2-x/BiCrO₃ photocatalysts were synthesized using a hydrothermal route preceded by a calcination step. The CeO_2-x/BiCrO₃ (15%) photocatalyst proved its unique performance of 29.3, 11.4, 11.7, and 23.0 times better than CeO₂ for photodegradation of respectively tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), metronidazole (MET), azithromycin (AZM), and cephalexin (CPN), as antibiotic pollutants, upon visible light. The effective photocatalytic ability, which was caused by the impressive suppression of charge carriers, can be understood by the developed S-scheme mechanism. Moreover, the lower resistance of CeO_2-x/BiCrO₃ (15%) compared to CeO₂, CeO_2-x, and BiCrO₃ against the charges transfer was another confirmation for boosted photocatalytic performance of the CeO_2-x/BiCrO₃ (15%) nanocomposite. Ultimately, the boosted activity, repeated utilization for five runs, and biocompatibility confirmation of the purified solution through pinto bean cultivation exhibited that CeO_2-x/BiCrO₃ photocatalysts could have the promising capability for detoxification of polluted water.