A Z-scheme LaFeO3-CuFe2O4 composite for sulfate radical-based photocatalytic process: Synergistic effect and mechanism

The sulfate radical-based photocatalytic process is supposed to be the most promising way to degrade organic pollutants. However, the development of a suitable and efficient photocatalyst is very challenging. The 40LaFeO(3)-CuFe2O4 (40LFO-CFO) nanocomposite was constructed and its catalytic performance was studied using Rhodamine B (RhB) as the target pollutant. 40LFO-CFO exhibited excellent RhB degradation by the persulfate (PS)-assisted photocatalytic process compared to the pristine LFO and CFO. The degradation rate constant for RhB by 40LFO-CFO in the Vis/PS system was 2.22 h(-1) which is 3.04 times and 5.05 times higher than the pristine LFO (0.73 h(-1)) and CFO (0.44 h(-1)), respectively. Furthermore, the trapping experiments and EPR spectra proved that h(+) plays a leading role in the bleaching of RhB for the 40LFO-CFO/PS/Vis system. The enhanced photocatalytic oxidation activity of 40LFO-CFO could be attributed to the unique charge carriers flow in 40LFO-CFO due to the Z-scheme and the cooperation effect between photocatalysis and PS activation. The recycle tests confessed the stability of 40LFO-CFO. Additionally, the intermediates and products of RhB are detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and the photocatalytic degradation routes of RhB for the 40LFO-CFO/Vis/PS system were proposed. Moreover, the 40LFO-CFO nanocomposite has a superior catalytic performance for other organics, suggesting that it is a promising heterocatalyst because of its high catalytic activity and stability for the PS-assisted photocatalytic process. (c) 2024 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.