An Iron Oxychloride/Reduced Graphene Oxide Heterojunction with Enhanced Catalytic Performance as a Photo‐Fenton Catalyst

Abstract

To aid with the environmental crisis, a new iron oxychloride/reduced graphene oxide (FeOCl/rGO) heterojunction has been successfully synthesized. The heterojunction shows enhanced photo‐Fenton catalytic activity and stability relative to those of FeOCl under mild conditions (neutral solution and natural light). The surface area, optical adsorption, and electronegativity of FeOCl/rGO are larger than those of FeOCl, and these properties contribute to the enhanced catalytic performance of FeOCl/rGO. Furthermore, the rapid transfer of photogenerated electrons from rGO to FeOCl promotes the reduction of Fe III to Fe II , which boosts the production of · OH radicals. On the basis of active‐species trapping experiments, the · OH radicals play a primary role, whereas · O 2 – radicals play a secondary role. This work demonstrates the first example of the facilitation of Fenton catalytic performance through the introduction of rGO to FeOCl for sunlight‐induced photodegradation.