TITLE:
Template-Free Hydrothermal Synthesis of β-FeOOH Nanorods and Their Catalytic Activity in the Degradation of Methyl Orange by a Photo-Fenton-Like Process
AUTHORS:
Zhihui Xu, Jianru Liang, Lixiang Zhou
KEYWORDS:
β-FeOOH; Heterogeneous; Photocatalysis; Fenton Reaction; Template-Free Hydrothermal Synthesis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Inorganic Non-metallic Materials,
Vol.3 No.4,
October
15,
2013
ABSTRACT:
The rod-shaped form of crystalline β-FeOOH (akaganeite) was prepared by the
template-free hydrothermal method with urea as the homogeneous precipitant.
X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform
infrared spectrum were used to characterize the resulting products. The
degradation of methyl orange (MO) was studied using the prepared nanostructure
materials in a photo-Fenton-like process. MO degradation was effectively achieved
by hydroxyl radicals that were generated in the heterogeneous catalysis
process. Specific surface area of the prepared β-FeOOH was an important factor
affecting the efficiency of MO degradation, which depended on the synthesis
conditions such as the reaction temperature, the initial concentration of urea
and FeCl3.6H2O as well as the n(urea)/n(Fe3+)
ratio. The photodegradation efficiencies slightly decreased with the increase
of initial pH in the range of 4.5 - 9.5, which indicated the prepared β-FeOOH catalyst can well overcome the
drawback of a narrow pH range of homogeneous Fenton reaction. β-FeOOH catalysts loading and H2O2 concentration also play important effect on the degradation efficiency of MO.
The prepared β-FeOOH showed good ability of reuse for multiple trials.