Preparation of protonized titanate nanotubes/Fe3O4/TiO2 ternary composites and dye self-sensitization for visible-light-driven photodegradation of Rhodamine B

Protonized titanate nanotubes/Fe3O4/TiO2 ternary composites (denoted as TNT/Fe3O4/TiO2) have been successfully prepared through a hydrothermal method with the tetrabutyltitanate as the precursor. The component of Titanate nanotubes act as the absorbents and endows the photocatalyst high flexibility to wide-range pollutants concentration, and the component of Fe3O4 endows the photocatalysts magnetic properties with easy recovery ability. The visible and UV-Visible light driven photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) over TNT/Fe3O4/TiO2 was systematically investigated. The exposed active {101) facets can be sensitized by RhB and dramatically enhanced the visible light photocatalytic activity of the TiO2. Synergistic effect of the high specific surface area, magnetic reclaim and the strong interaction between the dye and TiO2 make the catalysis exhibit extraordinary photocatalytic performance and promising application. The detailed e(-) and h(+) separation dynamics for visible-light induced catalytic mechanism was discussed. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.