In this study, we present a novel approach using chemiluminescence imaging to visualize heterogeneous photo-Fenton activity within individual hematite photocatalysts. The photocatalytic activity of hematite was analyzed at the single-particle level us...
In this study, we present a novel approach using chemiluminescence imaging to visualize heterogeneous photo-Fenton activity within individual hematite photocatalysts. The photocatalytic activity of hematite was analyzed at the single-particle level using chemiluminescence microscopy, and a mechanism for the photo-Fenton reaction, in which Fe2+/Fe3+ cycling drives continuous generation of reactive oxygen species, was proposed. Additionally, we characterized the hematite photocatalysts with varying shapes and sizes through individual and statistical analyses, identifying unique heterogeneous photo-Fenton active sites within dendritic hematite particles. Specifically, the branch of snowflake-shaped hematite exhibited 83% and 92% higher activity compared to the core and trunk, respectively. Furthermore, adsorption modeling, along with AFM and TEM analyses, was used to investigate the underlying causes of this heterogeneity.