Abstract
This study reports a simple process for synthesizing efficient photocatalyst based on mesoporous carbon nanotubes (CNT)-α-Fe2O3 nanohybrids at different CNT contents as well as their photocatalytic performance under visible light illumination. TEM image of CNT-α-Fe2O3 nanohybrid exhibited that Fe2O3 nanoparticles are well distributed homogeneously in the CNT surface with size of <10 nm and lattice fringes were obviously assigned with a spacing of 0.252 nm, conforming to the (110) planes of α-Fe2O3. The prepared mesoporous CNT-α-Fe2O3 nanohybrids act as efficient and reusable photocatalysts for the photocatalytic oxidation of Bismarck Brown R (BBR) Dye. The total removal efficiency was boosted from 83 to 98% with the increase of CNT contents from 0 to 50%. The decolorization rate of BBR dye over 50% CNT-α-Fe2O3 nanohybrid is greater by almost 35 times than that of the pure mesoporous Fe2O3. The superior photocatalytic performance of mesoporous CNT-α-Fe2O3 nanohybrids over mesoporous α-Fe2O3 is mainly owing to the synergistic effect and effective retard electron-hole recombination at the CNT/Fe2O3 interfaces. The high photocatalytic performance and easily recyclable of CNT-α-Fe2O3 nanohybrids come to be promising photocatalyst and adsorbent for industrial and domestic wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the optimal sample of 50% CNT-α-Fe2O3 modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was examined to the electrochemical detection and determination of phenyl-hydrazine. The sensor electrode exhibited outstanding sensitivity of 1081 μAmM-1cm-2 within a linear dynamic range from 10 μM to 1 mM with a correlation coefficient R2 = 0.9995 and a low limit of detection (LOD) 6.25 μM.