CuO Enhances the Photocatalytic Activity of Fe2O3 through Synergistic Reactive Oxygen Species Interactions
Abstract
Iron oxide (-FeO, hematite) colloids were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and investigated as catalysts for the photodegradation of an organic dye under broad-spectrum illumination. To enhance photocatalytic performance, FeO was combined with other transition-metal oxide (TMO) colloids (e.g., CuO and ZnO), which are sensitive to different regions of the solar spectrum (far visible and ultraviolet, respectively), using a ternary blending approach for compositional mixtures. For a variety of ZnO/FeO/CuO mole ratios, the pseudo-first-order rate constant for methyl orange degradation was at least double the sum of the individual FeO and CuO rate constants, indicating there is an underlying synergy governing the photocatalysis reaction with these combinations of TMOs. A full compositional study was carried out to map the interactions between the three TMOs. Additional experiments probed the identity and role of reactive oxygen species and elucidated the mechanism by which CuO enhanced FeO photodegradation while ZnO did not. The increased photocatalytic performance of Fe2O3 in the presence of CuO was associated with hydroxyl radical ROS, consistent with heterogeneous photo-Fenton mechanisms, which are not accessible by ZnO. These results imply that low-cost photocatalytic materials can be engineered for high performance under solar illumination by selective pairing of TMOs with compatible ROS.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1148835
Entities
People
- Eftihia Barnes
- Emily Asenath-smith
- Emma K. Ambrogi
- Jonathon A. Brame
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center