Mesoporous silica coating on hierarchical flowerlike Fe2O3 with enhanced catalytic activity for Fenton-like reaction

Abstract

Hierarchical flowerlike Fe₂O₃ was coated with mesoporous silica to form a Fe₂O₃@mesoporous silica composite with a core/shell structure through a simple solution-based method with the assistance of Fe₂O₃ as a precursor. When used as a catalyst for a Fenton-like reaction for the degradation of methylene blue, the Fe₂O₃ mesoporous silica composite was much more active than the bare flowerlike Fe₂O₃, which suggests that the catalytic activity of the flowerlike Fe₂O₃ in the Fenton-like reaction was dramatically enhanced by the mesoporous silica coating.