Facile self-assembly synthesis of γ-Fe2O3 /graphene oxide for enhanced photo-Fenton reaction

A novel self-assembly method was developed to prepare a γ-Fe2O3/graphene oxide (GO) heterogeneous catalyst that showed excellent synergy between photocatalysis and Fenton-like reactions. The γ-Fe2O3/GO catalyst prepared on the iron plates demonstrated efficient and reproducible catalytic activities for water treatment. It takes only 80 min to degrade 50 mg L−1 methylene (MB) completely, which is the main non-biodegradable dye in wastewater from the textile industry. The heterogeneous catalyst is stable over a wide range of pH (from 2.0 to 10.2) for MB degradation, and can be easily extracted from solution and repeatedly used with little loss of catalytic activity. The high activity and stability of the catalyst system can be attributed to charge separation between γ-Fe2O3 and GO, which could accelerate Fenton-like process and photocatalysis. In addition, the dominant reactive oxidant species responsible for the MB degradation, including the hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and holes (h+), were trapped on the surface of the γ-Fe2O3/GO composite, as proved by a free-radical quenching experiment. The γ-Fe2O3/GO heterogeneous catalyst could potentially provide a solution for removal of non-biodegradable dyes from wastewater in the textile industry.