Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of monolithic Fe2O3/TiO2

Abstract

The monolithic Fe2O3/TiO2 composites were synthesized via a one-pot sol-gel process with titanium tetrachloride as a Ti source and ferric chloride as a Fe source. The monolithic Fe2O3/TiO2 composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, powder XRD, N2/adsorption–desorption, fluorescence and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the Fe2O3/TiO2 composites were evaluated by degradation of bisphenol A. The results indicated that, with the doping of Fe, the surface area of the monolithic Fe2O3/TiO2 increased, the forbidden band width decreased and the electron-hole recombination rate decreased. The monolithic Fe2O3/TiO2 composite with Fe/Ti molar ratio of 0.03 had the best photocatalytic activity for degradation of bisphenol A.