Novel magnetic nanocomposites containing quaternary ferrites systems Co0.5Zn0.25M0.25Fe2O4 (M = Ni, Cu, Mn, Mg) and TiO2-anatase phase as photocatalysts for wastewater remediation under solar light irradiation

In this study smart-removal magnetic nanocomposites are developed in an attempt to decrease the band gap energy of the catalyst and to enable separation of the catalyst from the wastewater after the process. Ferrite magnetic nanoparticles Co0.5Zn0.25Mo0.25Fe2O4 (M = Ni, Cu, Mn, Mg) (MNPs) are obtained by the co-precipitation method using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as surfactant and NaOH ass precipitation agent. Further, the magnetic nanocomposites Co0.5Zn0.25M0.25Fe2O4-TiO2 (anatase) (MNPs-TiO2) are obtained by the TiO2 deposition onto the MNPs using Pluronic P123 as template and tetra butyl titanate (TBOT) as titanium source. This type of photocatalyst can be used under solar light irradiation because of the activation of TiO2 with MNPs in visible light range and can be very easily recovered due to their strong magnetic properties. The MNPs-TiO2 have proven to be very active for the degradation of different dyes, such as methyl orange and methylene blue, under solar light irradiation.