This paper reports the accomplishment of a noticeable enhancement in the photodegradation and antibacterial activity of α-Fe₂O₃ by a heterostructure formation between α-Fe₂O₃ and ZnO flakes. The heterostructure yields 97% photodegradation of methylene blue pollutant in water within 180 min, which is a fourfold increase compared to that observed with a pure α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructure. Further characterisations indicate that the improved results are attributable to the reduction in optical band gap, the increased electrical conductivity, the improved spatial separation of carriers and the enhanced amount of available hydroxyl radicals for the reaction. The stability and reusability of the photocatalysts are confirmed for four consecutive cycles of operations. The phase identification and structural studies are done using x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in conjunction with surface morphology from field emission scanning electron microscopy. The enhancement of room temperature electrical conductivity by five times and band gap reduction from 1.98 eV to 1.75 eV for the heterostructures, when compared with α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures, are obtained from voltage–current measurements and optical reflectance spectra.

本文报道了通过α-Fe ₂ O ₃和 ZnO 薄片之间的异质结构形成，显着增强了 α-Fe ₂ O ₃的光降解和抗菌活性。异质结构在 180 分钟内对水中的亚甲蓝污染物产生 97% 的光降解率，与使用纯 α-Fe ₂ O ₃观察到的相比增加了四倍纳米结构。进一步的表征表明，改进的结果归因于光学带隙的减小、电导率的增加、载流子空间分离的改进以及反应可用羟基自由基的数量增加。光催化剂的稳定性和可重复使用性在连续四个循环操作中得到证实。使用 x 射线衍射、透射电子显微镜和 x 射线光电子能谱结合场发射扫描电子显微镜的表面形态进行相识别和结构研究。与 α-Fe ₂ O相比，异质结构的室温电导率提高了五倍，带隙从 1.98 eV 降低到 1.75 eV₃纳米结构，从电压-电流测量和光学反射光谱中获得。