| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38899 | Applied Catalysis A: General | 2016 | 10 Pages |
•An innovative supported catalyst absorbing light in the visible region is reported.•The PE film containing FeOx species induces Fenton like processes.•Evidence is provided for the dye degradation steps on the catalyst surface.•The PE-FeOx film leads to methylene blue degradation with acceptable kinetics.
This study reports an innovative preparation polyethylene-FeOx (PE-FeOx films) leading to the degradation of the methylene blue (MB) dye under low intensity sunlight/visible light (>400 nm). The intermediate highly oxidative radicals generated by PE-FeOx leading to MB discoloration/degradation in the presence of H2O2 were identified. The relative contribution to the MB discoloration by the Fe-ions leached from the PE-FeOx films into solution was determined quantitatively. This allows estimating the contribution of the heterogeneous and of the homogeneous leading to MB-degradation. The shift in the peak binding energy (BE) for Fe was detected by photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) after the MB-degradation providing the evidence for redox catalysis occurring during MB-degradation at the PE-FeOx surface. The particle size and roughness of the PE-FeOx surfaces were determined by atomic force spectroscopy (AFM). The spectral properties of PE-FeOx films are reported and insight is provided for the mechanism of MB-degradation.
Graphical abstractSchematic of the MB-degradation mechanism on PE-FeOx films under sunlight/visible irradiation.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (57 K)Download as PowerPoint slide
