Graphene oxide-Fe2O3 hybrid material as highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for degradation of organic contaminants

Graphene oxide-Fe2O3 (GO-Fe2O3) hybrid material was synthesized as a heterogeneous catalyst for photo-Fenton degradation of organic contaminants by an easy and scalable impregnation. X-ray diffraction analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscope analysis confirm the existence of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the GO-Fe2O3 catalyst. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis proves that the combination of Fe2O3 and GO sheet is due to the metal-carbonyl coordination. The catalytic activities of the GO-Fe2O3 catalyst were evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B and 4-nitrophenol under visible light irradiation (>420 nm) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The results show that the catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic property at a wide pH range of 2.09-10.09 and stable catalytic activity after seven recycles, which could be attributed to the synergetic effects of the adsorptive power of GO and the hydroxyl radicals produced by heterogeneous photo-Fenton reactions. The present results suggest that the GO-Fe2O3 hybrid material can act as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for degradation of organic contaminants, which may provide insight into the design and development of high-efficiency visible-light photocatalyst for water treatment. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.