Succinate assisted synthesis of magnetically separable Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nano-heterostructure: A stable catalyst for environmental remediation

Abstract

A simple strategy is designed for the fabrication of Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nano-heterostructure using the succinate-assisted simple chemical route. XRD and FTIR were used to identify phases and investigate impurities in as-synthesized samples. Surface morphological investigation of the Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nano-heterostructures was performed using SEM. The optical properties of the Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nano-heterostructures in the visible range are demonstrated after the heterojunction is established. Photocatalytic degradation of RhB and MB dyes was achieved using these synthesized nano-heterostructures. The Fe2O3 and g-C3N4 synergistic effect was found to be useful in minimizing electron-hole recombination. The as-synthesized Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nano-heterostructure demonstrated the greatest photocatalytic performance when compared to pure Fe2O3, Degussa P25, and other synthetic photocatalysts for dye degradation. The effect of catalyst loading and pH on the degradation of RhB and MB dyes was investigated. The Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism was well explained for the degradation of dyes utilizing Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nano-heterostructure.

Keywords

• Photocatalysis
• Dye degradation
• Fe2O3/g-C3N4
• Heterojunction