High photocatalytic activity of Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites prepared by photodeposition for degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

• Shu Chin Lee,
• Hendrik O. Lintang and
• Leny Yuliati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 915–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.93

• and TiO2 nanoparticles that improved charge transfer and suppressed electron–hole recombination. A further investigation on the role of the active species on Fe2O3/TiO2 confirmed that the crucial active species were both holes and superoxide radicals. The Fe2O3(0.5)/TiO2 sample also showed good

• stability and reusability, suggesting its potential for water purification applications. Keywords: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; Fe2O3/TiO2; herbicide degradation; heterojunction; holes and superoxide radicals; photocatalyst; photodeposition; water purification; Introduction Photocatalytic reactions

• probably due to their low formation. The scavenger study was also conducted using the Fe2O3(0.5)/TiO2 (PD) as shown in Figure 7. It was clear that the Fe2O3(0.5)/TiO2 (PD) gave similar trend of activity as the ones obtained on the unmodified TiO2 (NT). Both the photogenerated holes and superoxide radicals