Development of novel iron and copper-loaded mesoporous silica particles with exceptional visible-light-induced photocatalytic properties for ultra-fast removal of organic pollutants from wastewater

Developing robust and highly efficient photocatalysts with the benefits of delayed electron-hole recombination generating active radicals and better catalytic efficiency in natural sunlight is an imperative task. Herein, photocatalytic Fe3+/Fe2+/Fe2O3 and Cu2+/CuO containing mesoporous spherical silica particles (MSP) were prepared using a facile one-pot synthesis method for the photodegradation of actual textile wastewater under sunlight. Our one-pot room temperature synthesis produced photocatalytic particles with a degradation reaction rate 65 times higher than pure Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Chemical and structural analysis confirmed the successful incorporation of Fe3+/Fe2+/Fe2O3, and Cu2+/CuO inside the silica framework. MSP carrying copper and iron species (Fe/MSP and Cu/MSP, respectively) demonstrated highly stable catalytic degradation of methylene blue in the presence of H2O2 under visible light irradiation with a photodegradation efficiency of >= 99.9 % after 20 and 10 min, respectively. This excellent photocatalytic performance is attributed to their ability to enhance the formation of both chemically generated and photogenerated hydroxyl radicals resulting from prolonged electron-hole recombination. Fe/MSP were successfully used in the complete photodegradation of real textile wastewater containing various dye molecules, demonstrating practical applicability. Furthermore, these photocatalytic materials showed good stability and recyclability for up to 5 cycles while maintaining their excellent photo-catalytic ability. Cu/MSP and Fe/MSP are expected to be promising, cost-effective photocatalysts for efficiently degrading various organic dyes, pesticides, and antibiotic pollutants.