Au/Fe3O4@TiO2 hollow nanospheres as efficient catalysts for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

Abstract

Novel magnetic Au/Fe3O4@TiO2 hollow nanospheres (Au/Fe3O4@hTiO2) have been fabricated via a coating method controlled by versatile kinetics. The details of the structure and morphology, size of the novel catalysts were characterized by TEM, HRTEM, XRD, XPS, VSM and N2 adsorption–desorption. The Au/Fe3O4@hTiO2 nanospheres exhibit favorable catalytic performance in both the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation and the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) by sodium borohydride at room temperature. More importantly, it could be conveniently recycled through an external magnetic field meanwhile without decrement of catalytic activity after running seven times. The unique nanostructure of hollow magnetic nanospheres results in a highly efficient, recoverable, stable, and cost-effective multifunctional system, offering extensive opportunities in the field of versatile catalysts synthesis and application.