Fabrication of a visible-light-driven photocatalyst and degradation of tetracycline based on the photoinduced interfacial charge transfer of SrTiO3/Fe2O3 nanowires

Abstract

In our study, a new visible light-driven photocatalyst SrTiO₃/Fe₂O₃ was first prepared via a simple two-step process using a hydrothermal process and electrospinning technique. The photocatalysts, composed of Fe₂O₃ nanowires (about 200 nm in diameter), were modified with SrTiO₃ nanocube (about 50 nm) photocatalysts based on photoinduced interfacial charge transfer (IFCT). The as-prepared SrTiO₃/Fe₂O₃ photocatalysts exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity in degrading tetracycline (TC) over their corresponding single component under visible light irradiation. The efficient photocatalytic performance of the composites could be ascribed to the enhancement in visible light absorption efficiency and the efficient electron transfer from the valence band of the SrTiO₃ nanoparticles to the Fe₂O₃ nanowires. This study shows their potential application in purifying TC pollution in environmental wastewater because of their high efficiency and stability.