The synergetic effect of a structure-engineered mesoporous SiO(2)–ZnO composite for doxycycline adsorption

The design and synthesis of an efficient adsorbent for antibiotics-based pollutants is challenging due to the unique physicochemical properties of antibiotics. The development of a mesoporous SiO(2)–ZnO composite is a novel way to achieve excellent adsorption efficiency for doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX) in aqueous solutions due to the engineered highly open mesoporous structure and the ZnO-modified framework. Unlike the traditional method of obtaining mesoporous composites by post-synthesis techniques, the novel one-step method developed in this study is both effective and environment-friendly. The adsorption mechanism based on the novel synergetic effect between SiO(2) and ZnO was demonstrated through several experiments. SiO(2) led to the creation of a 3D open framework structure that provides sufficient space and rapid transport channels for adsorption, ensuring rapid adsorption kinetics. A higher number of active sites and enhanced affinity of the contaminants are provided by ZnO, ensuring high adsorption capacity. The mesoporous SiO(2)–ZnO could be easily regenerated without a significant decrease in its adsorption efficiency. These results indicate that the developed strategy afforded a simple approach for synthesizing the novel mesoporous composites, and that mesoporous SiO(2)–ZnO is a possible alternative adsorbent for the removal of DOX from wastewater.