Degradation of methylene blue by a heterogeneous Fenton reaction using an octahedron-like, high-graphitization, carbon-doped Fe2O3 catalyst

Novel octahedron-like hybrids of highly graphitized carbon dopants and Fe2O3 (C-Fe2O3-2) were prepared via a simple one-pot annealing method. The morphology and level of graphitization of the carbon dopant in the Fe-based materials could be controlled by poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). When using C-Fe2O3-2 as the catalyst in the heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction of methylene blue (MB) degradation, 96% of MB was removed within 420 min in the presence of H2O2. Furthermore, the activity of the carbon-doped Fe2O3 remained nearly constant over five cycles, indicating the long-term catalytic durability and recyclability of the catalyst. The large surface area and the synergistic effect between Fe2O3 and the highly graphitized carbon dopant in C-Fe2O3-2 are considered to be responsible for the enhanced Fenton-like performance.