α-Fe2O3 nanoclusters confined into UiO-66 for efficient visible-light photodegradation performance
Abstract
α-Fe2O3 is narrow bandgap photocatalyst that is widely used for organic-pollutant photodegradation and photoelectrochemical conversion. However, α-Fe2O3 with short mean-free path exhibits low photocatalytic activity due to the high recombination rate of photoexcited carriers. Accordingly, the importance of controlling particle size to reduce the recombination rate of α-Fe2O3 is increasingly being recognized. In this study, UiO-66 with various pore diameters was employed to confine α-Fe2O3 growth. The α-Fe2O3 nanoclusters were encapsulated inside the UiO-66 cage through simple adsorption and thermal conversion. The structure and state of α-Fe2O3@UiO-66 were studied by SEM, TEM and XPS analyses. Results showed that α-Fe2O3@UiO-66 had significantly improved photodegradation efficiency for methylene blue under visible-light irradiation due to the confining effect on α-Fe2O3 nanoclusters and the synergistic effect between UiO-66 and α-Fe2O3.
- Publication:
-
Applied Surface Science
- Pub Date:
- February 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.10.048
- Bibcode:
- 2019ApSS..466..956Z
- Keywords:
-
- α-Fe<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB>;
- Confining;
- UiO-66;
- Heterostructure;
- Photocatalysis;
- Visible-light