ZnFe2O4/rGO/g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite photocatalysts with different ZnFe2O4/g-C3N4 weight ratio (0.5, 0.75, 1) were prepared by a stepwise solvothermal method using ethylene glycol as the solvent. Physicochemical methods such as X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy were applied in order to characterize the composites. The formation of a meso-/macroporous structure with specific surface area between 67 and 77 m2 g–1 was confirmed by N2 adsorption/desorption. The bandgap of the composites was found to be lower (2.30 eV) than that of g-C3N4 (2.7 eV). In contrast to pure g-C3N4, the composites showed no fluorescence, i.e. no recombination of e–/h+ took place. All samples, including pure g-C3N4 and ZnFe2O4, were tested for adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of aqueous malachite green model solutions (10–5 M) under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). The results show that the prepared nanocomposites have higher absorption and photocatalytic activity than the pristine g-C3N4 and ZnFe2O4 and can be successfully used for water purification from organic azo-dyes.
The possibility to reuse damaged Fe‐based metallic glasses with heterogeneities in their amorphous structure for wastewater remediation is investigated. Fe81B13.5Si3.5C2 ribbons are treated in a planetary ball mill in order to improve their catalytic behavior. Their efficiency in model Fenton reaction of Methyl orange azo‐dye degradation is registered. It reveals significant variations of their performance as a result of material transformation under mechanical treatment. Detailed physicochemical analysis is made to follow material changes after ball milling and catalytic tests. It is obtained that the formation of local atomic Fe‐rich and Fe‐deficit clusters randomly distributed in the amorphous alloy is highly beneficial for increasing catalyst dye degradation ability. Catalytically active centers in studied redox reaction are Fe‐rich clusters due to their strong affinity for donating electrons. Additional important result of this study is that mechanochemical treatment of metallic glasses at appropriate conditions can lead to material homogenization and relaxation of amorphous structure, as it can be observed after temperature annealing. This study demonstrates the possibility to apply mechanochemical method for rearrangement of the amorphous structure of damaged metallic glasses. Such waste materials can be in fact successfully reused as green and sustainable catalysts for effective purification of contaminated industrial waters.
The synthesis of orthoferrites of the type La1−xCexFeO3+x/2, x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07, by applying a simple and effective mechanochemical transformation from the constituent oxides is presented. Physicochemical methods such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) adsorption were applied to gain information about the effect of Ce4+ content on the structural, textural, and optical properties of the samples. The catalytic activity of the samples for water decontamination was determined in a photo-Fenton-like activation of persulfate for removal of tetracycline hydrochloride as model pollutant. The presence of persulfate, PDS, considerably increased the removal efficiency under visible light illumination.
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