Abstract
The contamination of water sources by pharmaceutical pollutants presents significant environmental and health hazards, making the development of effective photocatalytic materials crucial for their removal. This research focuses on the synthesis of a novel Ag@CuS-doped magnetite nanocomposite and its photocatalytic efficiency against tetracycline and diclofenac contaminants. The nanocomposite was created through a straightforward and scalable precipitation method, integrating silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and copper sulfide (CuS) into a magnetite framework. Various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), were employed to characterize the structural and morphological properties of the synthesized material. The photocatalytic activity was tested by degrading tetracycline and diclofenac under visible light. Results indicated a marked improvement in the photocatalytic performance of the Ag@CuS-doped magnetite nanocomposite compared to both pure magnetite and CuS-doped magnetite. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the synergistic interaction between Ag NPs, CuS, and Fe3O4, which improves light absorption and charge separation, thereby increasing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting the degradation of the pollutants. This study highlights the potential of the Ag@CuS-doped magnetite nanocomposite as an efficient and reusable photocatalyst for eliminating pharmaceutical pollutants from water.