Template-Free Hydrothermal Synthesis of β-FeOOH Nanorods and Their Catalytic Activity in the Degradation of Methyl Orange by a Photo-Fenton-Like Process

摘要

The rod-shaped form of crystalline β-FeOOH (akaganeite) was prepared by the template-free hydrothermal method with urea as the homogeneous precipitant. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectrum were used to characterize the resulting products. The degradation of methyl orange (MO) was studied using the prepared nanostructure materials in a photo-Fenton-like process. MO degradation was effectively achieved by hydroxyl radicals that were generated in the heterogeneous catalysis process. Specific surface area of the prepared β-FeOOH was an important factor affecting the efficiency of MO degradation, which depended on the synthesis conditions such as the reaction temperature, the initial concentration of urea and FeCl3.6H2O as well as the n(urea)/n(Fe3+) ratio. The photodegradation efficiencies slightly decreased with the increase of initial pH in the range of 4.5 - 9.5, which indicated the prepared β-FeOOH catalyst can well overcome the drawback of a narrow pH range of homogeneous Fenton reaction. β-FeOOH catalysts loading and H2O2 concentration also play important effect on the degradation efficiency of MO. The prepared β-FeOOH showed good ability of reuse for multiple trials.