Synthesis, structure, and visible-light-driven activity of <i>o</i>-YbFeO₃/<i>h</i>-YbFeO₃/CeO₂ photocatalysts

Photo-Fenton-like oxidation of organic substances is one the key advanced processes based on reversible Fe2+↔Fe3+ transition and generation a strong oxidant ·OH in presence H2O2 currently considered as promising method for purification polluted aqueous media. However, absence effective stable photocatalysts this process, operating under action visible light, necessitates exploratory studies, mainly among iron oxides ferrites various compositions structures. In work, using solution combustion followed by heat treatment air heterojunction nanocomposites ytterbium orthoferrite cerium dioxide composition o-YbFeO3/h-YbFeO3/CeO2 (0–20 mol.%) with high absorption region photo-Fenton-like activity were obtained. The studied EDS, SEM, XRD, BET, DRS methods. was investigated during degradation methyl violet (λmax = 410 nm) radiation. As result, formation I-type rhombic (55.4–79.0 metastable hexagonal (19.5–24.0 modifications (o-YbFeO3 h-YbFeO3, respectively) cubic CeO2 (13.2–19.2 nanocrystals established. It shown that obtained had foamy morphology characterized specific surface range 9.1–25.0 m2/g, depending content. found nanocrystalline components chemically phase-pure, uniformly spatially distributed over nanocomposite, multiple contacts each other. Based fact established electronic structure nanocomposite components, participation o-YbFeO3 (Eg 2.15 eV), h-YbFeO3 2.08 2.38 eV) shown, which increased photocatalytic resulting nanocomposite. optimal content 5%, o-YbFeO3/h-YbFeO3/CeO2–5% sample highest rate constant light equal to k 0.138 min–1, 2.5 5 times higher than orthoferrite. results indicate developed can be basis media from pollutants.