Assembly of ZnO Nanoparticles on SiO2@α-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites for an Efficient Photo-Fenton Reaction

Kasimayan Uma,Sridharan Balu,Guan-Ting Pan,Thomas Yang

doi:10.3390/inorganics6030090

Kasimayan Uma, Sridharan Balu + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics6030090

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Journal: Inorganics	Publication Date: Sep 3, 2018
Citations: 14	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: National Taipei University of Technology

Abstract

The SiO2@α-Fe2O3/ZnO metal oxide nanocomposites employed in this study were obtained using the sol-gel method. Their photocatalytic activities were enhanced by photo-Fenton reactions. The metal oxide composite of ZnO and α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were deposited on the SiO2 nanospheres intended for visible light photocatalysis. Further, the as-synthesized SiO2@α-Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposites exhibited a robust crystallinity and a high adsorption of dye molecules when compared to SiO2@ZnO and SiO2@α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated a rapid Methylene Blue (MB) degradation among these catalysts within short intervals of time with the addition of α-Fe2O3/ZnO mixed metal oxide catalysts on the SiO2 nanospheres. Finally, a photo-Fenton reaction was implemented to confirm the presence of the hydroxyl (OH) radicals, which are powerful agents used for the degradation of organic pollutants.

Highlights

In order to avoid damage to the environment from greenhouse gases, it is necessary to develop renewable energy resources as alternatives to fossil fuels
When the H2 O2 was added to the dye solution, the degradation percentage increased to Similar resultswere wereobserved observedfor forthe theSiO
The SiO2 spheres were synthesized from a mixture of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), anhydrous ethanol, and water, which was stirred at room temperature for 15 min

Summary

Introduction

In order to avoid damage to the environment from greenhouse gases, it is necessary to develop renewable energy resources as alternatives to fossil fuels. Solar energy has received much attention as a sustainable and clean energy source. The conversion of solar energy into chemical energy is a promising technique in producing renewable energy [1]. Several researchers have focused on improving the conductivity and optical properties of heterogeneous semiconductor nanocomposite materials, metal oxides. These are dominant because of their properties that enhance the surface plasmon effect and offer improvement in the visible light region [4]

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