Novel alpha-Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

In this study, hematite-anatase (alpha-Fe2O3/TiO2) nanocomposites were prepared successfully using a simple co-precipitation method. The obtained samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Experimental results demonstrate that alpha-Fe2O3@TiO2 nanocomposites are spherical in shape with average sizes close to 38 nm. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of the composites samples were studied based on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) as a model compound, where the results illustrated that the alpha-Fe2O3@50% TiO2 nanocomposites performed the best as a photocatalyst under visible light. These nanocomposites samples provide a positive example for the fabrication of other structures for photocatalysis or other applications.