Photocatalytic properties of BaTiO3/Fe2O3 under visible and ultraviolet irradiation

Abstract

Nanosized composite materials based on BaTiO3 with 0.5 % and 1 % Fe2O3 were prepared by the sol-gel method and subsequent heat treatment. This work showed that increasing the content of iron(III) oxide in a heterostructured material affects the bleaching of the dye rhodamine B upon irradiation with visible and ultraviolet light. The highest photocatalytic activity was observed on the solid surface of the samples in an air environment under both visible and UV irradiation. The BaTiO3/0.5 % Fe2O3 sample was found to be most effective in an air environment when irradiated with an artificial visible light source. The increase in efficiency could be due to the best separation of charge carriers at the interface between the barium titanate and iron(III) oxide structures and the highest concentration of the resulting radical anions. An increase in the mass fraction of Fe2O3 led to a decrease in the efficiency of the nanoscale composite photocatalyst, which was due to a greater recombination of charge carriers.