Preparation of photocatalytic Fe2O3-TiO2 coatings in one step by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

There are two major difficulties in the TiO2 liquid-solid photocatalytic system: effective immobilization of the TiO2 particles; and improving the catalytic activity under visible light. To simultaneously solve these two problems, Fe2O3-TiO2 coatings supported on activated carbon fiber (ACF), have been prepared in one step by a convenient and efficient method-metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). XRD results revealed that Fe2O3-TiO2 coatings mainly composed of anatase TiO2, α-Fe2O3 phases and little Fe2Ti3O9. The pore structure of ACF was preserved well after loading with Fe2O3-TiO2 coatings. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed a slight shift to longer wavelengths and an enhancement of the absorption in the visible region for Fe2O3-TiO2 coatings, compared to the pure TiO2 sample. A moderate Fe2O3-TiO2 loading (13.7 wt%) was beneficial to mineralizing wastewater because the intermediates could be adsorbed onto the surface of photocatalyst following decomposition. The stable performance revealed that the Fe2O3-TiO2 coatings were strongly adhered to the ACF surface, and the as prepared catalysts could be reused showing potential application for wastewater treatment.