Fabrication of the TiO2/Ti3C2 loaded ceramic membrane targeting for photocatalytic degradation of PPCPs: ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and ibuprofen

Abstract

Photocatalytic membranes offer an effective strategy to overcome the difficulties of solid-liquid separation and secondary contamination of powdered photocatalysts. MXene is a 2D material of layered Ti₃C₂, which is considered to limit electron-hole separation and contribute to photocatalysis. In this work, the etched Ti₃C₂ MXene was loaded on the surface of ceramic membranes using polydopamine (PDA) as a binder, followed by one-step calcination to produce TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) in situ. The characterizations supported that the TiO₂/Ti₃C₂ ceramic membranes had high mechanical strength while retaining the layered structure of Ti₃C₂, which was conducive to the inhibition of electron and hole complexation, improving the photocatalytic performance. Degradation experiments revealed that the material showed enhanced degradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) such as ciprofloxacin (CIP), tetracycline (TCN) and ibuprofen (IBP). The LC-MS and toxicity prediction models indicated that the developmental toxicity of CIP degradation products decreased with prolonged photocatalytic reaction, exhibiting no acute toxicity to fish. The MT650 exhibited significantly enhanced water flux properties (320 L/(m²·h)). The TiO₂/Ti₃C₂ ceramic membranes explored in this work are expected to target the treatment of PPCPs with excellent engineering promise.