Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of α–Fe2O3 Nanocrystals Impregnated on g-C3N4–SO3H with Ultrafast Charge Separation for Photoreduction of Cr (VI) Under Visible Light

Balu, Sridharan; Chen, Yi-Lun; Juang, R.-C.; Yang, Thomas C.-K.; Juan, Joon Ching

Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of α–Fe2O3 Nanocrystals Impregnated on g-C3N4–SO3H with Ultrafast Charge Separation for Photoreduction of Cr (VI) Under Visible Light

2020

Balu, Sridharan | Chen, Yi-Lun | Juang, R.-C. | Yang, Thomas C.-K. | Juan, Joon Ching

Surface functionalization and shape modifications are the key strategies being utilized to overcome the limitations of semiconductors in advanced oxidation processes (AOP). Herein, the uniform α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals (α-Fe₂O₃–NCs) were effectively synthesized via a simple solvothermal route. Meanwhile, the sulfonic acid functionalization (SAF) and the impregnation of α-Fe₂O₃–NCs on g-C₃N₄ (α-Fe₂O₃–NCs@CN-SAF) were achieved through complete solvent evaporation technique. The surface functionalization of the sulfonic acid group on g-C₃N₄ accelerates the faster migration of electrons to the surface owing to robust electronegativity. The incorporation of α-Fe₂O₃–NCs with CN-SAF significantly enhances the optoelectronic properties, ultrafast spatial charge separation, and rapid charge transportation. The α-Fe₂O₃-HPs@CN-SAF and α-Fe₂O₃-NPs@CN-SAF nanocomposites attained 97.41% and 93.64% of Cr (VI) photoreduction in 10 min, respectively. The photocatalytic efficiency of α-Fe₂O₃–NCs@CN-SAF nanocomposite is 2.4 and 2.1 times higher than that of pure g-C₃N₄ and α-Fe₂O₃, respectively. Besides, the XPS, PEC and recycling experiments confirm the excellent photo-induced charge separation via Z-scheme heterostructure and cyclic stability of α-Fe₂O₃–NCs@CN-SAF nanocomposites.

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