PVP-assisted synthesis and photocatalytic properties of magnetic Fe3O4/SiO2/BiOBr composite

In this study, a magnetic Fe3O4/SiO2/BiOBr composite photocatalyst was controllably synthesized a PVP-assisted solvothermal method. The Fe3O4/SiO2/BiOBr composites are composed of many three-dimensional (3D) flower-like BiOBr microspheres loaded with many spherical Fe3O4 particles. The formation mechanism and effect of PVP's concentration on the products were investigated and proposed. Experimental results showed that PVP might act as a potential crystal plane inhibitor in the system as well as the stabilizer on the surface of BiOBr nanoplates. The Fe3O4/SiO2/BiOBr displayed high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB under visible light irradiation, after which it can be easily recovered by applying an external magnetic field. Moreover, the as-prepared photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability and reusability in the cycled experiments.