Magnetically Separable Ag NWs/Fe3O4@mTiO2 Nanowires: Fabrication and Photocatalytic Activity

This work has developed a facile strategy to create magnetically separable, core-shell structured composites consisting of a magnetic Ag nanowires (NWs)/Fe 3 O 4 cores and an outer mesoporous TiO 2 (mTiO 2 ) shell using a sol-gel process and subsequent hydrothermal treatment. Benefiting from the mesoporous anatase TiO 2 as well as the unique structures of the composite, the resulting Ag NWs/Fe 3 O 4 @mTiO 2 composite was employed as a catalyst for removal of the organic contaminants through a colorimetric photocatalytic degradation assay using methylene blue (MB) as a model contaminant. Moreover, the photocatalysts can be easily separated and recycled with an external magnetic field and possess prominent recoverability.