Novel and Green Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Cohered Fe3 O4 Nanoparticles with Rich Oxygen Vacancies and Its Application

Abstract

A one-pot and green synthesis methodology was successfully designed to prepare nitrogendoped carbon (NC) cohered Fe3 O4 nanoparticles with rich oxygen vacancies (Fe3 O4-OVs/NC). The preparation was achieved via cold-atmospheric-pressure air plasma using Fe2 O3 nanoparticles as the only precursor, and pyridine as the carbon and nitrogen source. Systematic characterization results of the as-prepared Fe3 O4-OVs/NC confirmed the transition from Fe2 O3 to Fe3 O4, along with the generation of oxygen vacancies, while preserving the original needle-like morphology of Fe2 O3. Moreover, the results indicated the formation of the NC attaching to the surface of the formed Fe3 O4 nanoparticles with a weight percent of ~13.6%. The synthesized nanocomposite was further employed as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst to remove phenol from an aqueous solution. The material has shown excellent catalytic activity and stability, demonstrating a promising application for wastewater treatment.