Recent progress in γ-Fe2O3-based catalysts: An overview of the synthesis and applications in environmental remediation

Contaminant and pollutant have become increasingly prominent environmental issues. Photocatalysis is a promising way to remove various dyes and organic pollutants in waste water. As a potential photocatalyst, Fe2O3 has a wide range of visible light absorption, good stability and recyclability, and has become an important material to degrade pollutants. Among them, γ-Fe2O3 has attracted wide attention due to its suitable band gap, unique superparamagnetism and designable micromorphology, which has great potential to address the above issues. However, the rapid recombination of the carrier limits the further development of its application. This paper reviews the recent research progress of γ-Fe2O3. Firstly, the crystal structure, superparamagnetism, optical properties and photocatalysis principle of γ-Fe2O3 are introduced. Secondly, the synthesis methods of γ-Fe2O3 are summarized, and the properties of γ-Fe2O3 obtained by different methods are compared. The modification strategies of γ-Fe2O3 based on morphology control, element doping and composite material preparation are summarized, and its applications in antibiotic degradation, heavy metal treatment, wastewater purification, microwave absorption, biomedicine and other fields are introduced. Finally, the application prospects and challenges of γ-Fe2O3 in the environmental field are prospected, aiming to further prove the great potential of γ-Fe2O3. It is hoped that the research results of this paper can provide some useful references for the development of high efficiency γ-Fe2O3-based catalysts, showing the great potential of γ-Fe2O3 in the environmental remediation field.