Design and construction of an immobilized Z-scheme Fe2O3/CuFe2O4|Cu photocatalyst film for organic pollutant degradation with simultaneous hydrogen production

An immobilized Z-scheme Fe2O3/CuFe2O4|Cu photocatalyst composite film was prepared by using an incomplete solid-state chemical reaction method. In the designed composite film, the copper foil is used not only as a photocatalyst carrier, but also as a reactant to generate CuFe2O4. Based on the unique structure of the photocatalyst composite film, the electrons can be transferred to the other surface of the copper foil. Therefore, photocatalytic degradation and hydrogen production reactions can be carried out simultaneously on both sides of the copper foil. The structure and properties of the photocatalyst composite film were studied by various characterization techniques. Some factors such as calcination time and calcination temperature on the photocatalytic activity of the composite film in organic pollutant degradation and hydrogen production were investigated. The crystal violet degradation ratio and hydrogen production amount reached 88.22 % and 375.00 µmol/dm2, respectively, under simulated sunlight irradiation for 120 min. The cyclic experiments were carried out to investigate the stability and reusability of the composite film. The species and properties of the active species generated in the photocatalytic reaction were studied by trapping experiments and electron spin resonance. This study may provide an idea for large-scale photocatalytic treatment of wastewater and hydrogen production.