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 Fe2O3 nanoparticle-decorated BiVO4 nanoplates were designed and successfully prepared through a one-pot hydrothermal route. The as-prepared Fe2O3/BiVO4 nanocomposites exhibit excellent photo-Fenton catalytic activity toward the discoloration of methylene blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RhB) dye molecules in the presence of H2O2. 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 Fe2O3/BiVO4-1 (FB-1) photo-Fenton catalyst and 0.5 mL of H2O2 within 20 min. The Fe2O3/BiVO4 Fenton photocatalyst also demonstrates high reusability under visible light irradiation with λ ≥ 420 nm. The photoinduced electrons on the conduction band of BiVO4 nanoplates can move toward the surface of Fe2O3/BiVO4 to accelerate the reduction of Fe3+; then, the as-formed Fe2+ ions on the surface of the catalyst greatly enhance the decomposition of H2O2 to form reactive ·OH species for the use in photodegradation of MB and RhB dye molecules. The synergetic effect of Fe2O3 and BiVO4 reported in this work might provide more opportunity to fabricate other novel semiconductor-based Fenton nanocomposites for contamination treatments in wastewater.