Preparation of Fe3O4/TiO2 magnetic mesoporous composites for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

Abstract

Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ magnetic mesoporous composites were synthesized through a sol-gel method with tetra-n-butyl titanate as precursor and surfactant P123 as template. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm and pore size distribution. The as-synthesized products were applied as photocatalysis for the degradation of Acid Black ATT and tannery wastewater under UV lamp irradiation. Fe₃O₄/TiO₂-8 composites containing Fe₃O₄ of 8 wt% were selected as model catalysts. The optimal catalyst dosage was 3 g/L in this photocalytic system. The magnetic Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ composites possessed good photocatalytic stability and durability. This approach may provide a platform to prepare a magnetic composite to optimize the catalytic ability.