Ambient-temperature catalytic degradation of aromatic compounds on iron oxide nanorods supported on carbon nanofiber sheet

Abstract

Fe2O3 nanorods loaded on carbon nanofiber sheet (Fe2O3/CNF) was found to be active in degrading aromatic pollutants spontaneously under the dark and ambient conditions without using any chemical reagent or external energy to assist the degradation reaction. The removal of aromatic pollutants was not caused by adsorption but by oxidative degradation since the generation of degradation intermediates and products was observed. The Fe2O3/CNF exhibited selective degradation activities for aromatic-compounds. Degradation was induced by Fe2O3/CNF only, whereas neither iron oxide nor bare CNF alone exhibited any degradation activity. The degradation on the Fe2O3/CNF was enabled only in the presence of dissolved O2 of which reduction led to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is proposed that electrons spontaneously transfer from aromatic-compound to O2 viaFe2O3/CNF with initiating the oxidative degradation and the concurrent ROS generation. The direct electron transfer from organic compound to Fe2O3/CNF, which lead to oxidative degradation.