Morphology-Selective Copper Aluminum-Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoflowers for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride

Copper aluminum double hydroxide nanocrystallines with different morphologies for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) were synthesized successfully by a facile water bath method. The morphology and crystal structure of the products were analyzed by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc. Morphologies of copper aluminum double hydroxide nanocrystallines have an effect on the size of their band gap and photocatalytic performance. Copper aluminum-layered double hydroxide (CuAl-DLH) nanoflowers were utilized in the photocatalytic degradation of TC-HCl, and they showed better excellent catalytic performance and recyclability than others. The effects of the catalyst mass, H₂O₂ content, TC-HCl initial concentration, pH, and reaction temperature on the photocatalytic degradation of TC-HCl with Cu₃Al₁-LDH nanoflowers were examined. Cu₃Al₁-LDH nanoflowers showed good catalytic performance with a TC-HCl degradation rate of 93% at room temperature in 60 min. After five cycles of reuse, the TC-HCl degradation rate of Cu₃Al₁-LDH nanoflowers was still above 85%, indicating that Cu₃Al₁-LDH nanoflowers have good stability and repeatability. Finally, the mechanisms of photocatalytic degradation on Cu₃Al₁-LDH nanoflowers are also discussed. The synthesized innovative Cu₃Al₁-LDH nanoflowers have great potential in the area of antibiotic pollutant destruction.