Self-assembly of porphyrin on the surface of a novel composite high performance photocatalyst for the degradation of organic dye from water: Characterization and performance evaluation

Photocatalysis is a promising pathway for organic dye degradation. However, the low harvesting efficiency and poor recyclability has hindered the application of photocatalysts in practical. Herein, a graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite was successfully synthesized through re-precipitation self-assembly. The prepared was characterized by spectroscopic, microscopic, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The Fe2O3-TiO2 particles in the graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite was well incorporated with the aggregated porphyrin and graphene. The porphyrin aggregates occurred as well-defined nanofibers with nanometer diameters and micrometer lengths. The as-prepared graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite was used to photo-catalytically degrade the pollutant Rhodamine B, showing high activity under simulated irradiation. A plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic performance of the graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite toward Rhodamine B was also presented. [Display omitted] •A new photocatalyst was synthesized and tested for treating dye-contaminated water.•Novel graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite was formed via self-assembly.•The composite properties and photocatalytic dye degradation activity were characterized.•Graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin photocatalyst was effective for degrading Rhodamine B.