Preparation and performance of Fe3O4/TiO2 nanocomposite with enhanced photo-Fenton activity for photocatalysis by facile hydrothermal method

The photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet organic dye was carried out in presence of various percentages of composite catalyst under UV light irradiation. In this study Fe3O4/TiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by hydrothermal method, which is simple and cost effective. Using various standard characterization techniques, the physical and chemical properties of the prepared nanocatalyst were determined. The crystallinity and surface morphology were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The primary absorption bands were observed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The optical property which plays a major role in photodegradation was examined using UV–visible spectroscopy. The magnetic behavior of the sample was determined by vibrating sample magnetometer. The optimized and highly efficient Fe3O4/TiO2 (1:4) nanocomposite exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of crystal violet dye. The efficiency of the catalyst and its photocatalytic mechanism by introducing hydroxyl radical as an oxidizing agent have been explained in detail.