Electrochemical Synthesis of Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for the Photo‐Fenton oxidation of Rhodamine B

Abstract Magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) is one of the widely used materials as a catalyst in the photo‐Fenton process for the oxidation of dyes. We report about the electrochemical synthesis of the superparamagnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. The structure, morphology, chemical composition, and chemical state of the catalyst were characterized. The synthesized samples of superparamagnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Raman shift spectroscopy, and vibrating magnetometer (VSM). The diffraction peaks and Raman shift spectra confirm the formation of Fe 3 O 4 . Superparamagnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were used as a catalyst for the oxidation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in a photo‐Fenton‐like process. The effect of operating parameters, including H 2 O 2 concentration, catalyst concentration, and RhB concentration, on the RhB decomposition efficiency was investigated. The rate of color removal was 85 % after 12 minutes at RhB concentration of 2 mg/L, H 2 O 2 concentration of 0.18 mM, and Fe 3 O 4 concentration of 0.2 g/L. In addition, electrochemically synthesized superparamagnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles showed that the catalyst activity decreased by only 7 % during recycling experiments, indicating long‐term stability of the sample.