Synthesis of Template-Free Iron Oxyhydroxide Nanorods for Sunlight-Driven Photo-Fenton Catalysis

Designing a photocatalyst with high efficiency using semiconductor materials emerges as a promising approach for the treatment of wastewater. At the same time, it is very essential to develop nondestructive, green, and sustainable techniques for the degradation of refractory pollutants. Here, we have demonstrated a facile route to prepare iron oxyhydroxide nanorods (β-FeOOH) without employment of any templating agent via a light-driven solution chemistry pathway and explored the as-prepared nanorods as the photo-Fenton catalyst under solar light irradiation. The photocatalytic experiments were performed toward the degradation of the aqueous solution of two different pollutants, namely, methylene blue and rhodamine B dyes. We have illustrated the effect of pH of the solution together with the concentration of H₂O₂ during the degradation process and optimized the solution pH as well as the H₂O₂ concentration. The superb photocatalytic efficiency of β-FeOOH is attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species in the presence of solar light, and these photo-produced reactive oxygen species assist the degradation process. The excellent photocatalytic efficacy and sustainability of β-FeOOH nanorods along with their effortless synthesis approach point to a cost-effective and environmentally benign pathway in fabricating a highly active photocatalyst for the degradation of organic dyes.