High photocatalytic activity of light-driven Fe2TiO5 nanoheterostructure toward degradation of antibiotic metronidazole

Abstract

Monodispersed Fe2TiO5 nanoheterostructure was prepared via simple surfactant-assisted sol–gel method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). After quantitative and qualitative analysis of nanostructures, simulated light-driven performance of Fe2TiO5 thin film as heterogeneous photocatalyst toward photodegradation of antibiotic metronidazole was investigated and compared with its forming metal oxides. Results showed the highest photocatalytic activity for Fe2TiO5 after 2h of irradiation by which the pseudo first-order photodegradation reaction of metronidazole leads to water and carbon dioxide production. Increase the photocatalysis efficiency based on Fe2TiO5 photocatalyst relative to TiO2 and Fe2O3 is due to lower mean size, more uniform distribution of nanoparticles and consequently an increase in the surface area available for the photocatalytic reaction, also the two metal centers arrangement in one structure that were resulted in effective light harvesting and enhancing the probability of reduction–oxidation reactions owing to fast transferring of charge carriers to surface with promoting separation and limiting recombination.