Heterojunction of FeOOH and TiO2 for the formation of visible light photocatalyst

Abstract

FeOOH/TiO2, a heterojunction structure between FeOOH and TiO2, was prepared by covering the surface of the ~100-nm-sized FeOOH particles with Degussa P25 by applying maleic acid as an organic linker. Under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm), FeOOH/TiO2 showed a notable photocatalytic activity in removal of gaseous 2-propanol and evolution of CO2. It was found that FeOOH reveals a profound absorption in the spectral range of 400 - 550 nm, and its valence band (VB) level is located relatively lower than that of TiO2. The considerable photocatalytic efficiency of the FeOOH/TiO2 under visible light irradiation was therefore deduced to be caused by the hole transfer between the VB of FeOOH and TiO2.