Non-Stacked γ-Fe₂O₃/C@TiO₂ Double-Layer Hollow Nanoparticles for Enhanced Photocatalytic Applications under Visible Light

Abstract

Herein, a non-stacked γ-Fe2O3/C@TiO2 double-layer hollow nano photocatalyst has been developed with ultrathin nanosheets-assembled double shells for photodegradation phenol. High catalytic performance was found that the phenol could be completely degraded in 135 min under visible light, due to the moderate band edge position (VB at 0.59 eV and CB at −0.66 eV) of the non-stacked γ-Fe2O3/C@TiO2, which can expand the excitation wavelength range into the visible light region and produce a high concentration of free radicals (such as ·OH, ·O2−, holes). Furthermore, the interior of the hollow composite γ-Fe2O3 is responsible for charge generation, and the carbon matrix facilitates charge transfer to the external TiO2 shell. This overlap improved the selection/utilization efficiency, while the unique non-stacked double-layered structure inhibited initial charge recombination over the photocatalysts. This work provides new approaches for photocatalytic applications with γ-Fe2O3/C-based materials.

Keywords

• double-layer hollow nanoparticles
• non-stacked structure
• synergistic effect
• phenol
• photodegradation