Enhanced visible light activity of EuFeO3/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by thermal treatment-hydrolysis precipitation method

The present paper aimed to, through combination of TiO2 and a rare earth ferrite and EuFeO3 nanoparticles, synthesize a new visible light active photocatalyst. The EuFeO3/TiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by a thermal treatment approach, in combination with a hydrolysis precipitation processing. The influences of concentration of TiO2 nanoparticles on morphological, magnetic and structural properties of EuFeO3/TiO2 nanocomposites were examined by different characterization techniques. Moreover, the optical characteristic of the synthesized samples was evaluated by UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry. The nanocomposites' photocatalytic activity was also assessed under the visible light (lambda > 400 nm), considering Congo red molecules degradation. Considerable degradation efficiency was observed (68% after 30 min), especially after using EuFeO3/TiO2 nanocomposites ratio of 1:0.5. The performed analysis revealed that EuFeO3/TiO2 (1:0.5) nanocomposite could be structured in a way that led to a considerable redshift in the onset of light absorption in comparison with that of pure TiO2. The constructed EuFeO3-TiO2 heterojunction caused a considerable increase in the photocatalytic degradation of the target pollutant, as a result of occurred diminished in electron-hole recombination.