Ambient-temperature catalytic degradation of aromatic compounds on iron oxide nanorods supported on carbon nanofiber sheet

Fe₂O₃ nanorods loaded on carbon nanofiber sheet (Fe₂O₃/CNF) was found to be active in degrading aromatic pollutants spontaneously under the dark and ambient conditions without using any chemical reagent or external energy to assist the degradation reaction. The removal of aromatic pollutants was not caused by adsorption but by oxidative degradation since the generation of degradation intermediates and products was observed. The Fe₂O₃/CNF exhibited selective degradation activities for aromatic-compounds. Degradation was induced by Fe₂O₃/CNF only, whereas neither iron oxide nor bare CNF alone exhibited any degradation activity. The degradation on the Fe₂O₃/CNF was enabled only in the presence of dissolved O₂ of which reduction led to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is proposed that electrons spontaneously transfer from aromatic-compound to O₂ viaFe₂O₃/CNF with initiating the oxidative degradation and the concurrent ROS generation. The direct electron transfer from organic compound to Fe₂O₃/CNF, which lead to oxidative degradation.