Efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in water by MXene-derived TiO-supported SiO/TiC composites: Optimisation, mechanism and toxicity evaluation.

Photocatalytic technology has emerged as a promising solution to global water contamination, mainly through the effective degradation of persistent pharmaceutical pollutants. However, a few challenges still exist in enhancing degradation efficiency, reducing the toxicity of by-products, and ensuring cost-effective scalability. This study focuses on Tetracycline Hydrochloride (TCH) as an index antibiotic pollutant to evaluate the performance of a novel MXene-derived TiO-supported SiO₂/TiC composite (SMXT) synthesized using ultrasonic and wet impregnation techniques.