Effect of Fe doping on photocatalytic activity of B2O3 processed using polyvinyl borate precursor

Abstract

In this study, boron oxide (B₂O₃) powder has been synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyvinyl borate precursor in air. For this purpose, polyvinyl borate precursor was synthesized through the condensation reaction of polyvinyl alcohol and boric acid, and then the polymeric precursor was pyrolyzed at 500°C. The as-prepared B₂O₃ particles were doped with iron (Fe) ions using the wet impregnation method. The photocatalytic activity of both undoped B₂O₃ and iron doped B₂O₃ (Fe-B₂O₃) powders was studied by investigating the degradation of the model dye, methylene blue, under UV light irradiation. It was pointed out that iron doped B₂O₃ powder exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to undoped one. In addition, various techniques of characterization such as FTIR, XRD, FESEM, EDX and UV–Vis spectroscopy were performed to confirm the synthesis of B₂O₃ particles and the presence of iron ions in the crystal structure of the prepared photocatalyst. The novelty of this study was to research the photocatalytic performance of both B₂O₃ and Fe-B₂O₃ photocatalysts.

 

Keywords

• UV light irradiation,B2O3,Fe doping,Photocatalytic activity,Polyvinyl borate

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