Photocatalytic generation of H2O2 over a Z-scheme Fe2O3@C@1T/2H-MoS2 heterostructured catalyst for high-performance Fenton reaction

The wide application of the Fenton reaction has been severely restricted by the requirement of continuous feeding of H2O2, the iron-slurry production, and the slow recycle rate of Fe3+/Fe2+. This work reports transforming type-II Fe2O3@2H-MoS2 heterostructures to a Z-scheme Fe2O3@C@1T/2H-MoS2 catalyst capable of photocatalytic in situ generation of H2O2 as an oxidant for the subsequent Fenton reaction. With MoS2 as a co-catalyst to improve the reduction from Fe3+ to Fe2+, the cascade process demonstrates high performance in oxidative degradation of organics (e.g., 100 mg L-1 tetracycline within 100 min). The in situ generated H2O2, with a yield as high as 1575 mu mol g(-1) h(-1) in air-saturated methanol solution (75 vol%), accounts for 43.5% of the total degradation efficiency. The current system represents an effective solution to the challenges in the traditional Fenton reaction, holding great potential for organic pollutant degradation in wastewater.

Automated summary

This study reports the transformation of type-II Fe2O3@2H-MoS2 heterostructures into a Z-scheme Fe2O3@C@1T/2H-MoS2 catalyst capable of in situ photocatalytic generation of H2O2 as an oxidant for the subsequent Fenton reaction. The cascade process demonstrates high performance in the oxidative degradation of organics, with significant effectiveness in the degradation of tetracycline. The in situ generated H2O2 accounts for a considerable portion of the total degradation efficiency, providing an effective solution to the challenges in the traditional Fenton reaction.