%0 Journal Article
%J Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
%D 2022
%T Ferric oxide nanoclusters with low-spin FeIII anchored g-C3N4 rod for boosting photocatalytic activity and degradation of diclofenac in water under solar light
%A Li, Fan
%A Taobo Huang
%A Fengbin Sun
%A Long Chen
%A Li, Peishen
%A Feng Shao
%A Yang, Xudong
%A Liu, Wen
%K D band center
%K Diclofenac
%K g-CN
%K Low-spin Fe
%K Photocatalysis
%X Fe2O3, as an earth-abundant photocatalyst for water purification, has attracted great attention. However, the high-spin FeIII in traditional Fe2O3 restricts its catalytic performance. In this work, based on the nanocrystal size alteration strategy, cubic Fe2O3 nanoclusters (3–4 nm) with low-spin FeIII were successfully anchored on six-fold cavities of the supramolecular condensed g-C3N4 rod (FCN) through the impregnation-coprecipitation method. FCN showed high photocatalytic activity, as the d band center of Fe 3d orbital (−1.79 eV) in low-spin FeIII shifted closer to Femi level, generating a weaker antibonding state. Then, the enhanced bonding state strengthened the interaction between Fe and O, further accelerating the charge carrier separation and enhancing its ability to capture OH−. Thus, low-spin FeIII enhanced the production of dominant reactive oxygen species (•OH/•O2−), promoting diclofenac photocatalytic degradation under solar light, with a kinetic rate constant (0.206 min−1) of  5 times compared with that of pristine g-C3N4.
%B Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
%V 317
%P 121725
%G eng
%U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092633732200666X
%R http://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.121725