Singlet oxygen generation potential of porphyrin-sensitized magnetite nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic application

Singlet oxygen generation potential of two novel free-base-porphyrin photocatalysts was investigated. The free-base-porphyrin-sensitized Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were tested for the degradation of the model pollutant Bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution, for the first time. MNPs with either cubic or spherical shape were synthesized using the sonochemical approach, followed by sensitizing with photoactive 4,4',4 '',4 '''-(Porphine-5,10,15,20-tetrayl)tetrakis(benzoic acid) (TCPP). The resulted photocatalysts were characterized in detail by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, spectral techniques and vibrating sample magnetometry. The electron spin resonance experiments have confirmed the high activity of the photocatalysts through the efficient formation of singlet oxygen in solution. The optimum operational parameters for BPA degradation were established as follows: 1.0 mu mol L-1 BPA, 1.0 g L-1 of photocatalyst, 100 mu mol L-1 H2O2, under UVA irradiation. In these conditions, the results for both photocatalysts revealed that after only 10 min of reaction, over 64% and ca. 90% of BPA have been removed from solution in the absence and presence of H2O2, respectively. Whereas after 60 minutes of treatment, only 24% of BPA in real wastewater effluent samples were removed under UVA irradiation in the absence of H2O2, showing the high complexity of real wastewater. Moreover, both photocatalysts were successfully used for BPA removal in three consecutive runs, without significant loss of catalytic features.