Polydopamine-coated carbonized cotton fabrics with β-FeOOH nanorods composites for highly efficient photo-Fenton degradation of organic pollutants

The photo-Fenton reaction has been widely applied in the decontamination of organic pollutants and has shown great potential in environmental remediation. The development of an appropriate catalyst with high activity and stability is essential for its success. Therefore, a composite catalyst was synthesized by in-situ mineralization of β-FeOOH nanorods on carbonized cellulose fabric (CCF) coated with polydopamine (PDA), which was denoted as β-FeOOH/PDA/CCF. The β-FeOOH/PDA/CCF catalyst with more than 77% degradation efficiency towards various contaminants and exhibited excellent chemical stability after six consecutive adsorption/degradation cycles. Radical scavenger experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed the presence of hydroxyl radicals (∙OH) that play a crucial role in the photo-Fenton degradation process. In addition, the degradation mechanism and pathway of MB was inferred. This work provides new perspectives on developing catalysts that demonstrate high stability and accelerated electron transfer, which can enhance the application of the photo-Fenton process in practical wastewater purification.