Enhanced photo-Fenton degradation of tetracycline using TiO2-coated alpha-Fe2O3 core-shell heterojunction

TiO2-coated cubic alpha-Fe2O3 with mostly exposed (012) and (101) facets (alpha-Fe2O3@TiO2) was fabricated using a hydrothermal route for the photo-Fenton degradation of tetracycline under visible light irradiation. TiO2 coating could greatly affect the photocatalytic activity of alpha-Fe2O3@TiO2. Compared with cubic alpha-Fe2O3 alone for photodegradation of tetracycline, alpha-Fe2O3@TiO2 with TiO2 shell of around 15 nm exhibited higher removal efficiency of tetracycline in photo-Fenton system, and its durability was slightly affected after five cycle times under same conditions. It is ascribed to the well-matched interface between cubic alpha-Fe2O3 core and TiO2 shell, leading to the broadened light-absorption and the efficient separation of photo-generated electon-hole pairs. The (OH)-O-center dot radicals were main responsible for the advanced photocatalytic performance of alpha-Fe2O3@TiO2 in visible-light driven degradation of tetracycline. (C) 2018 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.