High Catalytic Activity of Phenol Photodegradation from Aqueous Solution with Novel Fe-Fe3O4-GO Nanocomposite

The nano-Fe-Fe3O4-graphene oxide (GO) composite was successfully synthesized by the precipitation method and followed by chemical reduction using FeCl3 as iron sources and NaBH4 as reducing agent. The sample was characterized by XRD, FTIR, TEM, BET, XPS, and VMS. From XRD results, it reveals the formation of both zero valent iron (Fe) and Fe3O4 particles on GO surface. From TEM images, it showed that both Fe3O4-GO and Fe-Fe3O4-GO had a small particle size of 10-20 nm. The as-prepared Fe3O4-GO and Fe-Fe3O4-GO nanocomposites were tested in the photocatalytic degradation of phenol, which exhibited excellent catalytic activity. After 90 min of reaction under the simulated sunlight irradiation, the conversion reached the value of 87% for Fe-Fe3O4-GO and 75% for Fe3O4-GO composite, respectively. The catalyst also showed the high stability. Thus, after three cycles, the conversion of 84% still remained. The high photocatalytic activity of Fe-Fe3O4-GO composite was rationalized by synergistic effect of Fe degrees and Fe2+.