Photocatalytic self-cleaning NaTaO3@Ti3C2Tx MXene membranes for efficient antibiotics removal

Photocatalytic technology with high oxidative activity has been considered promising for eliminating fouling of nanofiltration (NF) membranes when used in organic pollutant removal. Herein, we report a photocatalytic self-cleaning NF membrane composed by two dimensional Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and NaTaO₃ nanoparticles with excellent permeability and antibiotics removal efficiency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to verify the successful preparation of the photocatalytic self-cleaning membrane. The membrane with the NaTaO₃ nanoparticles loading of 8 mg (NM-8) exhibited excellent rejection (>99.67%) and water permeability (90.79–112.50 L m⁻² h⁻¹·bar⁻¹) for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), ciprofloxacin (CIP), methylene blue (MB), and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT). The removal efficiencies of the membrane for TC, CIP, MB, and MBT during the photocatalytic degradation process were 75.18%, 70.13%, 90.04% and 93.12%, respectively. Moreover, the chemical and optical properties were investigated by zeta potential, water contact angle, and UV–vis spectrum. The mechanism of photodegradation of pollutants by the prepared NaTaO₃@Ti₃C₂T_x MXene membranes was further elucidated. This work not only deepens the construction of photocatalytic NF membranes using two dimensional materials, but also provides a new strategy for the efficient removal of antibiotics from wastewater.