Solid-state synthesis and characterization of α-Fe₂O₃@ZnO nanocomposites with enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic activity

The α-Fe₂O₃@ZnOx (x = 25, 50 and 75 mol%) nanocomposites were synthesized by solid-state method. The formation of nanocomposites was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy. High purity of α-Fe₂O₃ and ZnO was observed in XRD patterns including lesser amount of ZnFe₂O₄. The growth of ZnO nanostructures on Fe₂O₃ rods was affirmed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Visible light driven photocatalytic degradation of roxarsone (ROX) was performed by using as-synthesized nanocomposites. The photocatalytic experiments were monitored by high pressure liquid chromatography. The α-Fe₂O₃@ZnO50% shows 89.7% of ROX degradation efficiency within 330 min and thus it exhibits best photocatalytic activity than the other composites. Moreover, the stability and possible photocatalytic pathway were also evaluated.