High Performance Magnetically Separable G‐C₃N₄/γ‐Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ Nanocomposite with Boosted Photocatalytic Capability towards the Cefixime Trihydrate Degradation under Visible‐Light

Abstract

A magnetically separable g‐C3N4/γ‐Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposite is synthesized as an intensely effectual visible‐light‐driven photocatalyst. It is fully characterized by FT‐IR, XPS, XRD, VSM, DRS, SEM, TEM, BET, EDS, and elemental mapping techniques. Based on the Tauc plot of (αhν)2 vs. hυ, the value of band gap energy for g‐C3N4/γ‐Fe2O3/TiO2 is estimated to be 2.6 eV, which proves the high capability of the catalyst to enhance the photoinduced electron‐holes separation and improves its visible‐light photocatalytic performance. The high photocatalytic activity of this catalyst towards the cefixime trihydrate (CEF) degradation, under visible‐light radiation can be ascribed to the synergistic optical effects between g‐C3N4, γ‐Fe2O3, and TiO2. Using central composite design (CCD) based on response surface methodology (RSM), the maximum degradation efficiency of about 98 % was obtained at the optimal conditions comprising the CEF amount of 20 mg/L, photocatalyst value of 0.04 g/L, irradiation intensity of 9 W/m2, and pH of 5.5, at 90 min. Utilizing an innocuous visible‐light source, almost complete mineralization of CEF (based on TOC analysis), using a very low amount of photocatalyst, applying air as the oxidant, and convenient magnetic separation of the catalyst from the reaction media and its ease of recycling for at least seven consecutive runs are the major highlights of this protocol.

Solar light induced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline in the presence of ZnO/NiFe2O4/Co3O4 as a new and highly efficient magnetically separable photocatalyst

“…Based on these premises and to pursue the intended endeavors of our research groups towards the development of new photocatalytic systems operating in mild conditions ( Jahanshahi et al, 2020a ; Jahanshahi et al, 2020b ), herein, for the first time, we synthesized a ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposite as a highly efficient magnetically separable heterogeneous sunlight-driven photocatalyst. The as-synthesized photocatalyst was entirely characterized by various methods.…”

Facile fabrication of Fe-TiO2 thin film and its photocatalytic activity

“…Specifically, Fe 2p 3/2 at 712 eV, Fe 2p 1/2 at 725.4 eV, and the satellite peak present at 719 eV are characteristics for Fe 3+ ions in Fe 2 O 3 (Pham et al 2014;Suresh et al 2014). The fitted Fe 2p 3/2 peak at 710.2 eV can be assigned to Fe 3+ state in the Ti-O-Fe bond, and the absence of the Fe 2p 3/2 peak at about 709.3 eV suggests that no Fe 2+ exists in the prepared material (Jahanshahi et al 2020). The existence of Fe 3+ is also supported by the presence of acidic protons Fig.…”

“…3 XPS survey scan spectra of 0.2%Fe-TiO 2 . Embedded figure: O1s-scan spectra of 0.2%Fe-TiO 2 (red line) and TiO 2 (green line) samples present on the surface because they appear to compensate the extra negative charge generated in the lattice given that Ti is a tetravalent ion and Fe is a trivalent ion (Jahanshahi et al 2020;Palanisamy et al 2013).…”

Recent advancements of g-C3N4-based magnetic photocatalysts towards the degradation of organic pollutants: a review

“…In another study, α-Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 composite (∼0.5 wt%) is prepared by a facile hydrothermal method which displays higher photocatalytic activity for the reduction of Cr(VI) than pure g-C 3 N 4 and α-Fe 2 O 3 [130]. The α-Fe 2 O 3 NPs are dispersed on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 , and no aggregation is observed by Xiao et al Table 1 summarizes [143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154][155][156][157][158][159] several preparation methods of α-Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 composites and their uses as photocatalysts.…”