Synthesis of a Novel Z-Scheme Ternary Photocatalyst of α-Fe2O3 Nanorods Decorated on MgO@g-C3N4 for Air Toluene Removal Under Visible Light by Studying its Antibacterial Properties
{"title":"Synthesis of a Novel Z-Scheme Ternary Photocatalyst of α-Fe2O3 Nanorods Decorated on MgO@g-C3N4 for Air Toluene Removal Under Visible Light by Studying its Antibacterial Properties","authors":"Rezvan Abedinloo, Abdulrahman Bahrami, Saeid Azizian, Majid Habibi Mohraz, Maryam Farhadian, Farshid Ghorbani Shahna, Farshid Ghorbani","doi":"10.1007/s10562-025-05028-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The objective of this study is to synthesize a ternary α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/MgO@g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> nanocomposite and to utilize it for the removal of toluene from air flow under visible light irradiation. A new ternary α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/MgO@g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> catalyst Utilizing α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Nanorod was synthesized via the impregnation–hydrothermal method. The synthesized catalysts were used for the photocatalytic removal of the toluene vapor in a reactor in visible light irradiation. The catalysts were characterized using FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, UV-visible DRS, and BET techniques. The effects of inlet toluene concentration, airflow rate, relative humidity, and their interactions on the efficiency of toluene removal were examined using a Central Composite Design method. In addition, the antibacterial properties of the synthesized samples were also investigated. Compared to pristine and binary catalysts, the ternary of α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/MgO@g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> photocatalyst exhibited higher efficiency in toluene degradation. The highest removal efficiency rate was 40.2% at an airflow rate of 15 mL/min, a toluene concentration of 10 ppm and relative humidity of 43%, which is approximately 1.95 and 1.57 times better than pure g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> and α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, respectively. The increased efficacy is probably related to the Z-scheme mechanism and the remarkable special surface area of the three catalysts. The inlet concentration of toluene had the greatest effect on removal efficiency, while relative RH had the least. CO<sub>2</sub> selectivity for this composite was M = 98.6%, indicating that toluene is entirely oxidized to CO<sub>2</sub> and water. This study shows that the α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/MgO@g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> photocatalyst demonstrates effective performance under visible light at low concentration and low airflow rate for removing toluene from air. In microbial tests, only MgO exhibited notable antibacterial properties, while none of the other catalysts demonstrated significant antibacterial effects. <i>The α-Fe</i><sub><i>2</i></sub><i>O</i><sub><i>3</i></sub><i>/MgO@g-C</i><sub><i>3</i></sub><i>N</i><sub><i>4</i></sub><i>composite is an efficient</i>,<i> non-toxic</i>,<i> and stable photocatalyst for toluene degradation at low concentrations and flow rates under visible light irradiation</i>.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div><div><p>Herein, we synthesized a ternary α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/MgO@g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> composite and utilized it for the removal of toluene from airflow under visible light in a continuous flow system. The ternary composite exhibited superior performance compared to the binary α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> composite and pure α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> catalysts</p></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":508,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Letters","volume":"155 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10562-025-05028-2.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Catalysis Letters","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10562-025-05028-2","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
The objective of this study is to synthesize a ternary α-Fe2O3/MgO@g-C3N4 nanocomposite and to utilize it for the removal of toluene from air flow under visible light irradiation. A new ternary α-Fe2O3/MgO@g-C3N4 catalyst Utilizing α-Fe2O3 Nanorod was synthesized via the impregnation–hydrothermal method. The synthesized catalysts were used for the photocatalytic removal of the toluene vapor in a reactor in visible light irradiation. The catalysts were characterized using FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, UV-visible DRS, and BET techniques. The effects of inlet toluene concentration, airflow rate, relative humidity, and their interactions on the efficiency of toluene removal were examined using a Central Composite Design method. In addition, the antibacterial properties of the synthesized samples were also investigated. Compared to pristine and binary catalysts, the ternary of α-Fe2O3/MgO@g-C3N4 photocatalyst exhibited higher efficiency in toluene degradation. The highest removal efficiency rate was 40.2% at an airflow rate of 15 mL/min, a toluene concentration of 10 ppm and relative humidity of 43%, which is approximately 1.95 and 1.57 times better than pure g-C3N4 and α-Fe2O3, respectively. The increased efficacy is probably related to the Z-scheme mechanism and the remarkable special surface area of the three catalysts. The inlet concentration of toluene had the greatest effect on removal efficiency, while relative RH had the least. CO2 selectivity for this composite was M = 98.6%, indicating that toluene is entirely oxidized to CO2 and water. This study shows that the α-Fe2O3/MgO@g-C3N4 photocatalyst demonstrates effective performance under visible light at low concentration and low airflow rate for removing toluene from air. In microbial tests, only MgO exhibited notable antibacterial properties, while none of the other catalysts demonstrated significant antibacterial effects. The α-Fe2O3/MgO@g-C3N4composite is an efficient, non-toxic, and stable photocatalyst for toluene degradation at low concentrations and flow rates under visible light irradiation.
Graphical abstract
Herein, we synthesized a ternary α-Fe2O3/MgO@g-C3N4 composite and utilized it for the removal of toluene from airflow under visible light in a continuous flow system. The ternary composite exhibited superior performance compared to the binary α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 composite and pure α-Fe2O3 and g-C3N4 catalysts
期刊介绍：
Catalysis Letters aim is the rapid publication of outstanding and high-impact original research articles in catalysis. The scope of the journal covers a broad range of topics in all fields of both applied and theoretical catalysis, including heterogeneous, homogeneous and biocatalysis.
The high-quality original research articles published in Catalysis Letters are subject to rigorous peer review. Accepted papers are published online first and subsequently in print issues. All contributions must include a graphical abstract. Manuscripts should be written in English and the responsibility lies with the authors to ensure that they are grammatically and linguistically correct. Authors for whom English is not the working language are encouraged to consider using a professional language-editing service before submitting their manuscripts.
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