Iron encapsulated in boron and nitrogen codoped carbon nanotubes as synergistic catalysts for Fenton-like reaction

Abstract

Iron nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated in B, N-codoped carbon nanotubes (Fe@C-BN) as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts were obtained by a simple and scalable pyrolysis method, and their performances were examined in the oxidative degradation of various organics in the presence of the different oxidants. The results showed that organic dyes can be effectively degraded by Fe@C-BN in the presence of peroxymonosulfate. Calcination temperature and mass of iron salt significantly affected the structures and performances of the catalysts. The effects of several reaction conditions, such as initial dye concentration, oxidant type (peroxymonosulfate, peroxydisulfate, and H2O2) and dosage, initial pH, inorganic anions, reaction temperature and dye types on oxidation as well as the stability of the composite were extensively evaluated in view of the practical applications. Through the investigation of reaction processes, HO(·) and SO4(·-) radicals were identified using quenching experiments. Owing to the synergistic effects between the iron NPs and B, N-doped carbon, Fe@C-BN catalysts intrinsically display an excellent catalytic activity for Fenton-like reaction. This study gives new insights into the design and preparation of iron NPs encapsulated in B, N-codoped carbon nanotubes as an effective strategy to enhance the overall catalytic activity.