Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by molecular imprinted film modified TiO2 nanotubes

To enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanotubes, tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) molecularly imprinted titania modified TiO₂ nanotubes (MIP-TiO₂) was prepared by liquid phase deposition, which improved the molecular recognition ability of the photocatalyst toward template molecules. This MIP-TiO₂ photocatalyst was characterized by ESEM and XRD, which showed that the imprinted titania was deposited on the nanotube uniformly and was of well-crystalized anatase-type. In the adsorption experiments, MIP-TiO₂ exhibited a high adsorption capacity (about 1.6 times higher than that of TiO₂ nanotubes) for TC mainly because of its imprinted sites and high surface area. Under UV irradiation MIP-TiO₂ showed enhanced photocatalytic activity with an apparent first-order rate constant 1.9-fold that of TiO₂ nanotubes.