Hydrothermal carbonization-induced oxygen vacancies on hematite for boosting photo-Fenton performance

Amorphous carbon encapsulated oxygen deficient hematite (Fe2O3-x@AC) composite was successfully synthesized when hematite was added into the hydrothermal carbonization process of ascorbic acid. Compared with pure hematite, Fe2O3-x@AC composite showed 7 and 70 times of photo-Fenton degradation rate for RhB and phenol, respectively. This enhancement can be mainly attributed to the synergistic effect between amorphous carbon and oxygen vacancies.