Investigation of α-FeO catalyst structure for efficient photocatalytic fenton oxidation removal of antibiotics: preparation, performance, and mechanism

Currently, the surface structure modification of photocatalysts is one of the effective means of enhancing their photocatalytic efficiency. Therefore, it is critically important to gain a deeper understanding of how the surface of α-Fe 2 O 3 photocatalysts influences catalytic activity at the nanoscale. In this work, α-Fe 2 O 3 catalysts were prepared using the solvothermal method, and four distinct morphologies were investigated: hexagonal bipyramid (THB), cube (CB), hexagonal plate (HS), and spherical (RC). The results indicate that the hexagonal bipyramid (THB) exhibits the highest degradation activity towards tetracycline (TC), with a reaction rate constant of k = 0.0969 min −1 . The apparent reaction rate constants for the cube (CB), hexagonal plate (HS), and spherical (RC) morphologies are 0.0824, 0.0726, and 0.0585 min −1 , respectively. In addition, it has been observed that the enhancement of photocatalytic activity is closely related to the increase in surface area, which provides more opportunities for interactions between Fe 2+ and holes. The quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results indicate that the &z.rad;O 2 , &z.rad;OH and h + contribute mainly to the degradation of TC in the system. This research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of catalyst surface alterations and their impact on catalytic performance. Currently, the surface structure modification of photocatalysts is one of the effective means of enhancing their photocatalytic efficiency.