Visible-Light Active and Magnetically Recyclable Nanocomposites for the Degradation of Organic Dye

Recyclable visible-light photocatalyst Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ with core-shell structure was prepared by a simple synthetic strategy using solvothermal crystallization of titanium precursor on preformed Fe₃O₄ nanopartiles. The photo-degradation reaction of neutral red aqueous solution was tested to evaluate the visible-light photocatalytic activity of the as prepared Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ nanoparticles, which show excellent photocatalytic activity compared with commercial P25 catalyst. Moreover, the Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ nanocomposites can be easily separated from the reaction mixture, and maintain favorable photocatalytic activity after five cycles. The high visible light absorption of the Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ nanocomposites may originate from the absence of electronic heterojunction, excellently dispersity and the high specific surface area of the as-synthesized Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ samples.