A novel C-Nafion/Fe-ion structured fabric capable of mediating Orange II decomposition in Fenton-immobilized
photoassisted reactions is presented. The catalyst preparation requires the right balance between the amount
of the Nafion necessary to protect the C-surface and the minimum encapsulation of the Fe-cluster catalytic
sites inside the Nafion to allow the photocatalysis to proceed. The C-Nafion/Fe fabric can be used up to pH
10 under light to photocatalyze the disappearance of Orange II in the presence of H2O2. The photocatalysis
mediated by the C-Nafion/Fe-ion fabric increased with the applied light intensity and reaction temperature in
the reaction needing an activation energy of 9.8 kcal/mol. This indicates that ion− and radical−molecule
reactions take place during Orange II disappearance. The build up and decomposition of intermediate iron
complexes under light involves the recycling of Fe2+ and was detected by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). This
observation, along with other experimental results, allows us to suggest a surface mechanism for the dye
degradation on the C-Nafion/Fe-ion fabrics. The C-Nafion/Fe-ion fabric in the presence of H2O2 under solar
simulated light transforms the totally nonbiodegradable Orange II into a biocompatible material with a very
high BOD5/COD value. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and sputtering by Ar+-ions of the upper
surface layer of the C-Nafion/Fe-ion fabric allow us to describe the intervention of the photocatalyst down
to the molecular level. Most of the Fe clusters examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed
particle sizes close to 4 nm due to their encapsulation into the Gierke cages of the Nafion thin film observed
by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy (OM).
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