Activation of persulfate by novel TiO2/FeOCl photocatalyst under visible light: Facile synthesis and high photocatalytic performance

In this work, novel TiO2/FeOCl photocatalysts were prepared trough calcination process and they were utilized as visible-light-induced photocatalysts for eliminating various pollutants in the presence of persulfate (PS) ions. Structural, morphological, photoelectrochemical, textural, and optical features of the obtained photocatalysts were extensively analyzed. The experimental outcomes illustrated that the weight percentage of FeOCl has significant impact on the photodegradation capability of the nanocomposites and the TiO2/FeOCl (20%) photocatalyst has the best photocatalytic efficiency in degradation of methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (RhB), and fuchsine. The elimination rate constant of RhB over the TiO2/FeOCl (20%) photocatalyst in the existence of 1.48 mM of PS ions was almost 36.1, 10.9, 8.5, and 24.8-times larger than the pure TiO2 , PS ions, TiO2/PS, and TiO2/FeOCl (20%) sample, respectively. The improved photocatalytic ability was assigned to the more absorption of visible light and more inhibition of the charge carriers from recombination. Lastly, based on the heterojunction formation at the interface of n-TiO2 , and n-FeOCl semiconductors, the photocatalytic mechanism in the presence of PS ions was discussed.