Synthesis of Fe₂O₃/CuO Composite Incorporated with PVDF Polymer Membrane for Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B

Department of Chemistry, State University of Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia

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Published online: 2 July 2026

Abstract

Synthetic dyes such as Rhodamine B (RhB) released by the textile industry represent a persistent environmental pollutant that poses significant risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Although heterogeneous photocatalysis has emerged as a promising remediation strategy, the practical deployment of powdered photocatalysts remains constrained by difficulties in post-treatment separation and particle agglomeration. This study synthesized a Fe₂O₃/CuO composite photocatalyst immobilized within a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer membrane via coprecipitation and phase inversion techniques. Three PVDF/Fe₂O₃-CuO membranes were prepared at catalyst loadings of 10%, 15%, and 20% (w/w) and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Photocatalytic performance was assessed by degradation of 10 ppm RhB solution under UV irradiation over 90 minutes. The 20% PVDF/Fe₂O₃-CuO membrane achieved the highest degradation efficiency of 86.45% with a pseudo-first-order rate constant (k_app) of 0.0222 min⁻¹. XRD confirmed co-existence of hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) and tenorite (CuO) phases without new phase formation, while FTIR verified physical interfacial interaction between PVDF and the metal oxide. These results demonstrate that PVDF/Fe₂O₃-CuO composite membranes offer a structurally stable, recoverable, and effective photocatalytic platform for industrial wastewater treatment.