Fe/Fe3C nanoparticles loaded on Fe/N-doped graphene as an efficient heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for degradation of organic pollutants

Heterogeneous Fenton catalyst with high activity and excellent durability is highly demanded for efficient removal of organic pollutants via well-known Fenton reaction. In this work Fe/Fe 3 C nanoparticles loaded on iron/nitrogen-doped graphene (Fe/Fe 3 C @ Fe/N-Graphene) were synthesized via spontaneous oxidative polymerization of dopamine (DA) on graphene oxide (GO) surface in the presence of iron (III) chloride, followed by thermal annealing. The Fenton catalytic performance of as-prepared Fe/Fe 3 C @ Fe/N-Graphene was evaluated by degrading rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G) as a model organic pollutant. It is found that as-prepared catalyst demonstrates good activity with a rate constant of 0.080   min −1 under optimal hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) concentration and catalyst dosage. Moreover, its catalytic activity shows negligible decrease even after 13 successive cycles, exhibiting excellent catalytic durability. The possible mechanism behind the improved Fenton catalytic activity and durability was further discussed.