Magnetically separable and recyclable ternary photocatalyst MnxZn1-xFe2O4/BiVO4/MnO2 with excellent photocatalytic activity

In water pollution treatment, more and more attentions have currently been paid to photodegradation catalysts, but high-activity and simple processes of photocatalysts still remain unprecedented challenges. In this paper, a ternary magnetic photocatalyst MnxZn1-xFe2O4/BiVO4/MnO2 (MZF/BVO/MO) was developed with a practical and reliable hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized MZF/BVO/MO was investigated using several characterization tools and the photocatalytic activity was evaluated against the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation. 10 wt% MZF/BVO/MO exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity (96.4%) under visible light irradiation for 60 min. Meanwhile, it was found that the decontaminate efficiency of 10 wt% MZF/BVO/MO was higher at lower pH, where the photodegradation efficiency reached 100% at pH = 1 for 20 min center dot OH and h(+) were active substances in photocatalytic reactions. The improved photocatalytic activity was attributed to the formation of n-n heterojunction, stable magnetic field and wide light absorption range. The high-efficiency photocatalyst synthesized in the work may provide greater possibilities for environmental restoration.

Automated summary

In this study, a high-efficiency ternary magnetic photocatalyst MZF/BVO/MO was successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method, exhibiting high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation.