Solid-state synthesis and characterization of α-Fe2O3@ZnO nanocomposites with enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic activity

The -Fe2O3@ZnOx (x=25, 50 and 75mol%) nanocomposites were synthesized by solid-state method. The formation of nanocomposites was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy. High purity of -Fe2O3 and ZnO was observed in XRD patterns including lesser amount of ZnFe2O4. The growth of ZnO nanostructures on Fe2O3 rods was affirmed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Visible light driven photocatalytic degradation of roxarsone (ROX) was performed by using as-synthesized nanocomposites. The photocatalytic experiments were monitored by high pressure liquid chromatography. The -Fe2O3@ZnO50% shows 89.7% of ROX degradation efficiency within 330min and thus it exhibits best photocatalytic activity than the other composites. Moreover, the stability and possible photocatalytic pathway were also evaluated.