A novel hollow capsule-like recyclable functional ZnO/C/Fe₃O₄ endowed with three-dimensional oriented recognition ability for selectively photodegrading danofloxacin mesylate

A novel hollow capsule-like recyclable functional ZnO/C/Fe₃O₄ was synthesized by employing the convenient and mild sol-gel method combined with the surface imprinting technique, which possessed good light response ability, superior magnetic separation performance and excellent reproducibility. This as-prepared functional ZnO/C/Fe₃O₄ was proved to not only exhibit high photocatalytic activity but also possess a strong three-dimensional oriented ability to selectively recognize and photodegrade danofloxacin mesylate. Through getting insight into the mechanism, we can confirm that in this photocatalytic reaction, h⁺ and OH play major roles compared with O₂^-. This work not only puts forward a novel design idea of functional semiconductor materials but also is expected to be widely applied to the oriented recognition and removal of a target substance according to the practical requirement.