Synergetic effect of Fe2O3 and BiVO4 as photocatalyst nanocomposites for improved photo-Fenton catalytic activity

Photo-Fenton reactions and the related functional nanomaterials have been widely studied for applications in wastewater treatment industry. Herein, visible-light-responsive Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticle-decorated BiVO 4 nanoplates were designed and successfully prepared through a one-pot hydrothermal route. The as-prepared Fe 2 O 3 /BiVO 4 nanocomposites exhibit excellent photo-Fenton catalytic activity toward the discoloration of methylene blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RhB) dye molecules in the presence of H 2 O 2 . The experimental results indicate that nearly 100% of MB (100 mL, 10 mg L −1 ) and RhB (100 mL, 5 mg L −1 ) dye molecules are degraded in the presence of 1 g L −1 Fe 2 O 3 /BiVO 4 -1 (FB-1) photo-Fenton catalyst and 0.5 mL of H 2 O 2 within 20 min. The Fe 2 O 3 /BiVO 4 Fenton photocatalyst also demonstrates high reusability under visible light irradiation with λ ≥ 420 nm. The photoinduced electrons on the conduction band of BiVO 4 nanoplates can move toward the surface of Fe 2 O 3 /BiVO 4 to accelerate the reduction of Fe 3+ ; then, the as-formed Fe 2+ ions on the surface of the catalyst greatly enhance the decomposition of H 2 O 2 to form reactive · OH species for the use in photodegradation of MB and RhB dye molecules. The synergetic effect of Fe 2 O 3 and BiVO 4 reported in this work might provide more opportunity to fabricate other novel semiconductor-based Fenton nanocomposites for contamination treatments in wastewater.