AUTHOR=Sepúlveda Marcela , Musiał Joanna , Saldan Ivan , Chennam Pavan Kumar , Rodriguez-Pereira Jhonatan , Sopha Hanna , Stanisz Beata J. , Macak Jan M. TITLE=Photocatalytic degradation of naproxen using TiO2 single nanotubes JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry VOLUME=5 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-chemistry/articles/10.3389/fenvc.2024.1373320 DOI=10.3389/fenvc.2024.1373320 ISSN=2673-4486 ABSTRACT=

Herein, TiO₂ single-tube (TiO₂ ST-NT) powders with and without magnetite Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (TiO₂ ST-NT@Fe₃O₄NPs) are presented for the first time as excellent photocatalysts for the degradation of one of the most popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), naproxen (NPX). The TiO₂ ST-NT powders were synthesized by anodization followed by etching of the double wall, bending, sonication, ultra-centrifugation, and finally annealing at 600°C. A part of the obtained TiO₂ ST-NT powders was decorated with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles using a simple one-step decoration process. The best photocatalytic performance of TiO₂ ST-NT and TiO₂ ST-NT@Fe₃O₄NPs powders was obtained under the white light (6.2 × 10⁻⁴ s^-1) and the blue light (2.7 × 10⁻⁴ s^-1), respectively. During NPX photodegradation using TiO₂ ST-NT powders, three main NPX transformation products (P1, P2, and P3) were detected. Upon excitation with the blue light illumination, TiO₂ ST-NT@ Fe₃O₄NPs powders exhibited higher performance (∼80%) than TiO₂ ST-NT powders (∼23%) within 1 h, resulting in an approximately three times increased photocatalytic rate constant. Moreover, under simulated sunlight conditions, TiO₂ ST-NT powders demonstrated remarkable activity, achieving a 94% NPX degradation within 1 h. TiO₂ ST-NT and TiO₂ ST-NT@Fe₃O₄NPs powders represent excellent photocatalysts for NPX degradation.