Sorption and Photocatalytic Characteristics of Composites Based on Cu–Fe Oxides

Abstract

Plasma ignition in the volume of liquid solution/water initiates the chemical activation of the liquid phase (formation of chemically active particles) and the sputtering of electrode materials, which leads to the formation of nanostructured materials. In this work, the synthesis of structures was carried out by means of underwater plasma excited in water between electrodes composed of different materials. The polarity of the Fe and Cu electrodes was varied at two plasma currents of 0.25 and 0.8 A. The kinetics of the sorption and photocatalysis of three dyes (Rhodamine B, Reactive Red 6C, and Methylene Blue) were studied. According to the results obtained, the polarity of the electrode material has a greater effect on the phase composition than the plasma current. The sorption process can be limiting depending on the type of dye and phase composition. The sorption kinetics can be described by various models at different stages of the process. Photocatalytic studies have shown that the complete decomposition of the three dyes can be achieved in 15–30 min of irradiation.

Keywords

• photocatalytic activity
• iron
• copper
• plasma
• combustion