Photocatalytic generation of H₂O₂ over a Z-scheme Fe₂O₃@C@1T/2H-MoS₂ heterostructured catalyst for high-performance Fenton reaction

The wide application of the Fenton reaction has been severely restricted by the requirement of continuous feeding of H₂O₂, the iron-slurry production, and the slow recycle rate of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺. This work reports transforming type-II Fe₂O₃@2H-MoS₂ heterostructures to a Z-scheme Fe₂O₃@C@1T/2H-MoS₂ catalyst capable of photocatalytic in situ generation of H₂O₂ as an oxidant for the subsequent Fenton reaction. With MoS₂ as a co-catalyst to improve the reduction from Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺, the cascade process demonstrates high performance in oxidative degradation of organics (e.g., 100 mg L⁻¹ tetracycline within 100 min). The in situ generated H₂O₂, with a yield as high as 1575 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in air-saturated methanol solution (75 vol%), accounts for 43.5% of the total degradation efficiency. The current system represents an effective solution to the challenges in the traditional Fenton reaction, holding great potential for organic pollutant degradation in wastewater.