Fe 2 O 3 /fCNT@ZIF‐67 Hybrid Nanostructures: Heterostructure for Rapid and Cost‐Effective Photocatalysis Under Visible Light
Syeda Isbah Bukhari, Shumaila Bibi, Ashtar A. Alrayes, Sadia Atta, Tayyaba Tariq, Shamil Mahmudov, Muhammad Zahid Qureshi, Hossam S. El‐Beltagi, Aziz ur RehmanABSTRACT
In this study, a new photocatalyst was developed to treat environmentally harmful polluted water caused by industrial dyes. The Fe 2 O 3 /fCNT@ZIF‐67 core–shell composite heterostructure was successfully synthesized using a solvothermal method and tested for its ability to break down organic pollutants, specifically methylene blue (MB), under visible light. The structural, morphological, and optical features of the composite were thoroughly examined using FTIR, XRD, and SEM techniques. The particle size, estimated via particle size histogram, was approximately 0.7 ± 0.24 µm ( n = 2). The influence of operational parameters, such as the initial dye concentration (5 mg/L), catalyst type, and dosage (30 mg), on degradation efficiency was carefully studied. The Fe 2 O 3 /fCNT@ZIF‐67 composite showed outstanding photocatalytic activity, achieving 95.2% MB removal within 80 min under visible light. Kinetic analysis confirmed that the degradation followed pseudo‐first‐order kinetics, with a rate constant of K 1 = 0.04 min −1 and a high correlation coefficient. The excellent photocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic interaction among the components: ZIF‐67 offers high surface area and porosity, functionalized CNTs enable effective electron transport, and Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles improve visible light absorption and redox activity. These results emphasize the potential of Fe 2 O 3 /fCNT@ZIF‐67 as a cost‐effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly photocatalyst.