Synergistic Upconversion and Molecular Imprinting in Flame-Made Yb/Nd Co-doped TiO2 for Targeted Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline in Complex Water

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Abstract
Conventional TiO2 photocatalysts are constrained by limited solar-light utilization and poor selectivity, which severely hinder their application in antibiotic wastewater treatment. Herein, we construct a Yb/Nd co‑doped TiO2@molecularly imprinted polymer (YNT@MIP) system that integrates near‑infrared upconversion luminescence with selective recognition to boost tetracycline (TC) degradation. Flame spray pyrolysis is employed to incorporate Yb3+ and Nd3+ ions, followed by interfacial coupling with a MIP shell layer, which narrows the apparent band gap to 2.17 eV. Upon 980 nm excitation, upconverted emission in the 465–660 nm range is generated and reabsorbed by TiO2, thereby enhancing charge‑carrier production. The surface MIP shell, anchored via Ti–O–C bonding, provides selective cavities, while its imprinted porous architecture mitigates electron screening and facilitates interfacial charge transfer. The optimized YNT@MIP achieves 93.1% TC degradation within 60 min under simulated sunlight, with a rate constant of 0.042 min–1 and 1.68 times that of the non‑imprinted counterpart, exhibiting a selectivity factor as high as 3.31 in complex water. This synergistic strategy offers a novel viable route toward efficient and selective photocatalytic water purification.

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