Facile synthesis and enhanced magnetic, photocatalytic properties of one-dimensional Ag@Fe3O4-TiO2

Abstract Fe 3 O 4 -TiO 2 heterostructures were synthesized through co-precipitation method based on TiO 2 nanobelts. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibration sample magnetometry (VSM) were used to characterize the heterostructure nanocomposites. The results of XRD proved that the TiO 2 nanobelt was anatase which was the most suitable crystal form for photocatalysis. SEM and TEM analysis indicated that Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were adhere to TiO 2 nanobelts which have one-dimensional structure with 100–200 nm in width. The VSM measurements showed that the photocatalyst can be easily recovered by an extemal magnetic field. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of Ag@Fe 3 O 4 -TiO 2 nanocomposites studies confirm that Ag is in Ag 0 state. Finally, the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) by the obtained magnetic photocatalyst was investigated via UV–vis absorption spectra. The photocatalytic activity of the composites was observed to be lower compared to bare TiO 2 due to the higher degree of recombination reactions after combined with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. After coated the composite of 15% Fe 3 O 4 -TiO 2 with Ag, the new nanocomposite of Ag@Fe 3 O 4 -TiO 2 can be easily recovered after photocatalysis by an extemal magnetic field and showed enhanced photocatalytic activity. The mechanisms for the exhibited enhanced photocatalytic effect of Ag nanoparticle decorated Fe 3 O 4 -TiO 2 nanocomposites with surface heterostructures are discussed.