Synthesis of α-Fe2O3/ZnO composites for photocatalytic degradation of pentachlorophenol under UV–vis light irradiation

A series of α-Fe2O3/ZnO composites with different α-Fe2O3 contents were successfully prepared by a simple and rapid method. The products were characterized by XRD, FESEM and UV–vis DRS. Photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared α-Fe2O3/ZnO composites was evaluated by degradation of persistent organic pollutant pentachlorophenol (PCP) in aqueous solution. Compared with pure ZnO, α-Fe2O3/ZnO composites show higher photocatalytic activity under UV–vis light irradiation. PCP is almost completely degraded by α-Fe2O3/ZnO composite with molar ratio 1:5 within 4 h.