Preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic activity of high performance Fe-doped nanocrystalline gallium nitride photocatalysts

•Fe-doped GaN photocatalysts were prepared by a safe and convenient method.•The Fe doping can significantly increase the photocatalytic activity of GaN.•The highest photocatalytic activity was observed when the content of Fe is 1.0 wt%.

Fe-doped nanocrystalline gallium nitride (GaN) photocatalysts were prepared by the reaction of Ga2O3, NH4Cl, metallic Mg powder and Fe2(SO4)3 powder in an autoclave at 650 °C. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and UV–vis reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine-B (RhB) solution under ultraviolet light irradiation. The highest photocatalytic degradation activity was observed when the content of Fe dopant is 1.0 wt%, which is almost 4 times higher than that of the undoped GaN. The mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity was also discussed.