Sodium dodecyl sulfate-decorated MOF-derived porous Fe2O3 nanoparticles: High performance, recyclable photocatalysts for fuel denitrification

Magnetically recyclable porous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/Fe 2 O 3 hybrids, which combine the porous structure of Fe 2 O 3 and hydrophobicity of SDS, have been successfully synthesized for the first time. Porous Fe 2 O 3 has been first pyrolyzed from MIL-100(Fe) using a simple two-step calcination route. Then, the obtained porous Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles have been self-assembled with SDS molecules and yielded hydrophobic SDS/Fe 2 O 3 hybrids. The porous SDS/Fe 2 O 3 hybrids have been demonstrated to be highly efficient for the denitrification of pyridine under visible light irradiation. The pyridine removal ratio has reached values as high as 100% after irradiation for 240 min. Combining the results of a series of experimental measurements, it was concluded that the superior photocatalytic performance of SDS/Fe 2 O 3 hybrids could be attributed to (i) the fast electron transport owing to the unique porous structure of Fe 2 O 3 , (ii) the superior visible light absorption of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles, and (iii) the “bridge molecule” role of SDS efficiently improving the separation and transfer across the interfacial domain of SDS/Fe 2 O 3 of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. More significantly, after the catalytic reaction , the SDS/Fe 2 O 3 hybrids could be easily recovered using magnets and reused during subsequent cycles, which indicated their stability and recyclability.