Facile synthesis of mesoporous hematite/carbon nanosheet for superior photodegradation

For large-scale fabrication of highly efficient photocatalysts, a facile modified solution combustion method is utilized to synthesize novel mesoporous alpha-Fe2O3/carbon hybrid nanosheets of highly photocatalytic activities. Such unique two-dimensional porous carbon nanosheets that are intimately contacted with homogeneous alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles present superior photocatalytic activity (complete degradation within 30 min) and excellent long-term stability towards degradation of methylene blue, rhodamine B and methyl orange under simulated sunlight irradiation. The associated photocatalytic mechanism based on tailoring the holes and radicals has been discussed, indicating the synergistic effect of the exclusive porous carbon nanosheets and alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the dramatically enhanced photocatalytic activity. The results suggest that the scalable fabrication of novel carbon/a-Fe2O3 hybrid nanosheets holds tremendous potential for photodegradation of organic dyes and various applications in other fields.