Facet-Specific Photocatalytic Degradation of Organics by Heterogeneous Fenton Chemistry on Hematite Nanoparticles

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b02946
• Publication Date: 2019-08-09T11:22:22Z
• Authors: Xiaopeng Huang; Ying Chen; Eric Walter; Meirong Zong; Yang Wang; Xin Zhang; Odeta Qafoku; Zheming Wang; Kevin M. Rosso
• Keywords: Degradation; Facet (psychology)

Hematite nanoparticles are abundant in the photic zone of aquatic environments, where they play a prominent role photocatalytic transformations bound organics. Here, we examine degradation rhodamine B by visible light using two different structurally well-defined hematite nanoparticle morphologies. In addition to detailed solid characterization and aqueous kinetics measurements, also exploit species-selective scavengers electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy sequester specific reaction channels thereby assess their impact. The photodegradation rates for nanoplates dominated {001} facets nanocubes {012} were 0.13 0.7 h-1, respectively, turnover frequencies active sites on 7.89 × 10-3 3.07× s-1, yielding apparent activation energies 17.13 24.94 kcal/mol within energetic span model, respectively. Facet-specific differences appear be directly not linked with simple aerial cation site density but instead extent undercoordination. By establishing this linkage, findings lay foundation predicting efficiency myriad possible morphologies more broadly help unveil key reactions at interface that may govern organic natural engineered environments.