Development of visible-light-active Fe2O3-hBN photocatalysts for sustainable degradation of emerging pollutants under simulated sunlight conditions

Date

2026-02-01

Author

Bouziani, Mariam
BOUZIANI, ASMAE
Hsini, Abdelghani
Bianchi, Claudia L.
Falletta, Ermelinda
Cerrato, Giuseppina
Giordana, Alessia
Çelik, Gökhan
Hausler, Robert

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

96
views

30
downloads

Cite This

In this work, Fe2O3-hBN composites with different Fe2O3 loadings (0.2–2 wt%) were synthesized via a dry impregnation approach and evaluated as sustainable photocatalysts for water purification. The materials were comprehensively characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, FTIR, UV–Vis, PL, and N2 adsorption-desorption analyses to elucidate their structural, optical, and surface properties. Under simulated solar irradiation, the 0.5 wt% Fe2O3-hBN composite showed the most efficient photocatalytic activity among the tested materials. Approximately 80% removal of methylene blue and more than 70% degradation of ibuprofen were achieved within 120 min, highlighting the superior performance of this composition. This improvement was attributed to enhanced visible-light absorption and a reduced band gap (2.7 eV). Radical scavenging experiments identified photogenerated holes (h*) and superoxide radicals (O3*-) as the main reactive species. The composite exhibited excellent stability and reusability across multiple cycles. These findings highlight Fe2O3-hBN as an efficient and eco-friendly photocatalyst for sustainable water remediation applications.

Subject Keywords

Environmental remediation, Fe2O3-hBN composites, Ibuprofen, Methylene blue, Photocatalysis, Sunlight irradiation, Water treatment

URI

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=105030091147&origin=inward
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118606

Collections

Department of Chemical Engineering, Article