Enhanced visible-light photocatalysis of TiO2/Fe3O4/BiOI nanocomposites as magnetically recoverable for the degradation of dye pollutants

The treatment of chemical dyes present in textile wastewater and its reuse for irrigational purposes has become a significant concern for the researchers. In this research paper, the magnetically separable n-p junction TiO2/Fe3O4/BiOI nanocomposites, regarded as novel visible-light photocatalysts, were perpetrated via a facile method for the decontamination of different dyes. To investigate the optical properties, phase structures, and morphologies of the nanocomposites, several techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX, VSM, BET, UV-Vis DRS, and PL were applied. The results indicated that the TiO2/Fe3O4/BiOI (20%) photocatalyst demonstrated the best photo-degradation activity for the Rhodamine B (RhB), which was around 6.85 and 4.39-folds larger than the TiO2 and TiO2/Fe3O4 photocatalysts, respectively. The increase photocatalytic activity could be credited to the higher specific surface area and the forming of n-p hetero-junctions between TiO2 and BiOI semiconductors. The TiO2/Fe3O4/BiOI (20%) nanocomposite displayed excellent activity as well in degradations of Methyl Orange, Fuchsine, and Malachite Green dyes. According to the results, center dot O-2-played a critical role during the photocatalytic elimination of RhB. Furthermore, the ternary nanocomposite showed high photocatalytic stability. The present work provides a new approach to design ternary visible light photocatalysts based on TiO2 with enhanced performances for water purifications.

Automated summary

In this study, novel TiO2/Fe3O4/BiOI nanocomposites were successfully used for the decontamination of different dyes, showing excellent photocatalytic activity and stability. The increased photocatalytic activity was attributed to the higher specific surface area and the formation of n-p heterojunctions.