Graphene oxide–Fe2O3 hybrid material as highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for degradation of organic contaminants

Graphene oxide–Fe2O3 (GO–Fe2O3) hybrid material was synthesized as a heterogeneous catalyst for photo-Fenton degradation of organic contaminants by an easy and scalable impregnation. X-ray diffraction analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscope analysis confirm the existence of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the GO–Fe2O3 catalyst. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis proves that the combination of Fe2O3 and GO sheet is due to the metal–carbonyl coordination. The catalytic activities of the GO–Fe2O3 catalyst were evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B and 4-nitrophenol under visible light irradiation (>420 nm) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The results show that the catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic property at a wide pH range of 2.09–10.09 and stable catalytic activity after seven recycles, which could be attributed to the synergetic effects of the adsorptive power of GO and the hydroxyl radicals produced by heterogeneous photo-Fenton reactions. The present results suggest that the GO–Fe2O3 hybrid material can act as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for degradation of organic contaminants, which may provide insight into the design and development of high-efficiency visible-light photocatalyst for water treatment.