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Photoelectrochemical degradation of selected organic substances on Fe2O3 photoanodes: a comparison with TiO2

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Abstract

The photoelectrochemical degradation of selected aromatic substances, acid orange 7 (AO7), salicylic acid (SA), benzoic acid (BA), and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was studied on hematite (α-Fe2O3) and compared with titanium dioxide (TiO2), both deposited as thin films on conducting substrates (FTO/glass). Batch type reactors were used under backside and front side illumination. Electrical bias was applied on the semiconducting electrodes, such that only valence band processes leading to oxidative pathways were followed. The initial Faradaic efficiency, f0, of degradation processes was determined from the UV–Vis absorbance decrease of the starting materials. f0 for 1 mM AO7 degradation in 0.01 M sulphuric acid was found to be 7.5%. When the pH of the solution was neutral (pH 7.2) or alkaline (pH 13), f0 decreased to 1.7%. For 1 mM SA, f0 was 6.2% on hematite photoanodes and 6.1% on titanium dioxide. For 1 mM benzoic acid and 4-chlorophenol, f0 was an order of magnitude lower, but only on hematite. This is ascribed to the lack of OH· radical formation on hematite, which seems to be essential for the photooxidation of these compounds.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Project Number 20-11635S) for financial support. Authors thank to H. Tarábková and R. Nebel from the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic for AFM and FE-SEM analysis. This work was also supported from the grant of Specific university research—Grant A2_FCHT_2022_090.

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  1. Department of Inorganic Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 16628, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    T. Imrich, M. Neumann-Spallart & J. Krýsa

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Imrich, T., Neumann-Spallart, M. & Krýsa, J. Photoelectrochemical degradation of selected organic substances on Fe2O3 photoanodes: a comparison with TiO2. Photochem Photobiol Sci 22, 419–426 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43630-022-00324-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43630-022-00324-x

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