Fabrication of novel magnetically separable visible-light-driven photocatalysts through photosensitization of Fe3O4/ZnO with CuWO4

• Published in: Journal of industrial and engineering chemistry (Seoul, Korea) Vol. 44; pp. 174 - 184
• Main Authors: Shekofteh-Gohari, Maryam, Habibi-Yangjeh, Aziz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 25.12.2016; 한국공업화학회
• Subjects: Fe3O4/ZnO/CuWO4; Magnetic photocatalyst; n–n Heterojunction; Visible-light-driven; 화학공학; Magnetic photocatalyst; Fe3O4/ZnO/CuWO4; n–n Heterojunction; Visible-light-driven
• ISSN: 1226-086X; 1876-794X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2016.08.028

[Display omitted] •Novel magnetically separable visible-light-driven Fe3O4/ZnO/CuWO4 photocatalysts are reported.•The Fe3O4/ZnO/CuWO4 (40%) nanocomposite exhibited the best activity.•Activity of the nanocomposite was 37 and 7.7-folds greater than Fe3O4/ZnO and Fe3O4/CuWO4 in degradation of RhB.•The nanocomposite was recovered using an external magnetic field. In this work, we have successfully fabricated ternary Fe3O4/ZnO/CuWO4 nanocomposites with different weight percentages of CuWO4 by refluxing method. The visible-light photocatalytic activity of the Fe3O4/ZnO/CuWO4 nanocomposites was investigated using Rhodamine B. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites significantly depends on the weight percentage of CuWO4. Among the prepared samples, the nanocomposite with 40% of CuWO4 displayed the highest activity. The superior photocatalytic ability of the Fe3O4/ZnO/CuWO4 (40%) nanocomposite compared to the binary Fe3O4/ZnO and Fe3O4/CuWO4 photocatalysts in degradation of methylene blue, as another organic dye, under visible-light irradiation was also confirmed.