Rational Design of α-Fe2O3/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composites: Rapid Detection and Effective Removal of Organic Pollutants.

α-Fe2O3/reduced graphene oxide (α-Fe2O3/rGO) composites are rationally designed and prepared to integrate organic pollutants detection and their photocatalytic degradation. Specifically, the composites are used as the substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to detect rhodamine 6G (R6G). Repeatable strong SERS signals could be obtained with R6G concentration as low as 10(-5) M. In addition, the substrate exhibits self-cleaning properties under solar irradiation. Compared with pure α-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3/rGO mechanical mixtures, the α-Fe2O3/rGO composites show much higher photocatalytic activity and much greater Raman enhancement factor. After 10 cycling measurements, the photodegradation rate of R6G could be maintained at 90.5%, indicating high stability of the photocatalyst. This study suggests that the α-Fe2O3/rGO composites would serve both as recyclable SERS substrate and as excellent visible light photocatalyst.