There remains continued interest in improving the advanced
water
oxidation process [e.g., ultraviolet (UV)/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)] for more efficient and environmentally friendly
wastewater treatment. Here, we report the design, fabrication, and
performance of graphene oxide (GO, on top)/nickel-doped iron oxyhydroxide
(Ni:FeOOH, shell)/silicon nanowires (SiNWs, core) as a new multifunctional
photocatalyst for the degradation of common pollutants like polystyrene
and methylene blue through enhancing the hydroxyl radical (•OH)
production rate of the UV/H2O2 system. The photocatalyst
combines the advantages of a large surface area and light absorption
characteristics of SiNWs with heterogeneous photo-Fenton active Ni:FeOOH
and photocatalytically active/charge separator GO. In addition, the
built-in electric field of GO/Ni:FeOOH/SiNWs facilitates the charge
separation of electrons to GO and holes to Ni:FeOOH, thus boosting
the photocatalytic performance. Our photocatalyst increases the •OH
yield by 5.7 times compared with that of a blank H2O2 solution sample and also extends the light absorption spectrum
to include visible light irradiation.