Designing the photodegradation experiments of a dye polluted water by α-Fe2O3/Cu2O and the mechanism study

Abstract

The α-Fe2O3/Cu2O coupled catalyst in the nano dimension was prepared and characterized via various identification techniques. The average crystallite size of 29.8, 29.4, and 41.0 nm for Fe2O3, Cu2O, and the coupled system was respectively obtained by the Williamson-Hall equation. The pHpzc for Cu2O, Fe2O3, and Cu2O–Fe2O3 was about 7.9, 8.4, and 9.3, respectively. The experimental design was applied to study the simultaneous interaction effects of influencing variables on the boosted photocatalytic activity of the binary catalyst in MB degradation. The scavenging agents' study confirmed the critical role of superoxide radicals in MB degradation that can be produced via a direct Z-scheme mechanism. After four successive reusing runs, the well-maintained photocatalytic activity proves the importance of the binary catalyst used from economic and environmentally friendly points of view. The mechanism and potential positions confirm the possible capability of the system for hydrogen production.