Rational structural design of graphene oxide/W18O49 nanocomposites realizes highly efficient removal of tetracycline in water

It is well known that nanomaterials are often used for the treatment of various pollutants in the natural wastewater environment due to their large specific surface area. Tetracycline antibiotics are often used for growth promotion and disease treatment, and these antibiotics end up in various water environments, which have a very serious burden on the water environment. A novel graphene oxide/W18O49 nanocomposite (GOW) was prepared by compounding magnetic graphene oxide with tungsten oxide (W18O49). The doping of W18O49 promoted GOW's ability to remove antibiotic pollutants. The removal mechanism of tetracycline (TC) utilizing GOW as the adsorbent and photocatalyst was explored. Through a series of characterization analysis such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, and the exploration of various experimental variables, the successful preparation of the composite material was proved, and the highest adsorption rate of the obtained material reached 79%. Kinetic and thermodynamic fitting showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model better explained the adsorption behavior of TC on GOW. Specifically, that the adsorption mechanism of TC on GOW is mainly based on 7C-7C interaction, electrostatic attraction, complexation, cation exchange, and hydrogen bonding. At the same time, in the exploration of photocatalytic degradation experiments, tungsten oxide was used as an efficient photocatalyst, and graphene oxide facilitates the storage and transfer of electrons while acting as a skeleton. Reusability experiments showed that GOW has attainable Reusability experiments showed that GOW has attainable reproducible and recyclable. These findings demonstrate the potential of GOW as a removal agent for efficient and recyclable removal of antibiotic pollutants in aquatic environments.