Hematite-based nanomaterials for photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs): A short review

The excessive uses of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have led to the presence of trace amount of PPCPs in water bodies. Photocatalysis can be an efficient technology for the challenging PPCPs remediation in the environment. A nontoxic and stable compound, alpha-Fe2O3, possesses a lower band gap and magnetism and can be a potential catalyst for photocatalytic and photochemical degradation of PPCPs. However, the application of alpha-Fe2O3 in photocatalysis is limited due to the faster recombination of electron-hole pairs. In recent years, numerous studies on alpha-Fe2O3 modification to improve its photocatalytic efficiency have been published. This article provides a brief summary and progress on alpha-Fe2O3-based nanomaterials for the degradation of various PPCPs by photocatalysis and photochemical oxidation.