Abstract
In the present research, Fe3O4/TiO2 magnetic photo-catalytic nanocomposites with a core/shell structure were successfully synthesized using two techniques of ultrasonic and St?ber. In this way, iron oxide (II, III) nanoparticles as soft magnetic cores of this composite were prepared by utilizing a chemical method assisted by ultrasound with a Fe+3/Fe+2 molar ratio of 1.5 under the nitrogen atmosphere. Thereafter, titanium oxide coating was performed on Fe3O4 nanoparticles by using tetrabutyl orthotitanate (TBOT) and titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) precursors. The resultant nanostructures were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Through findings obtained from TEM examinations, the formation of core/shell nanostructure was confirmed in the prepared Fe3O4/TiO2 composites. Analysis of magnetic properties revealed that titanium oxide coating on iron oxide nanoparticles reduces saturation magnetization (Ms). The values of saturation magnetization for Fe3O4 powder and Fe3O4/TiO2 nanocomposite powders achieved via ultrasonic and St?ber methods were 60, 23 and 9 emu/g, respectively. Photo-catalytic properties of Fe3O4/TiO2 nanostructures were evaluated by the use of methylene blue dye under UV light. Results indicated that Fe3O4/TiO2 composite obtained by the St?ber method has a better photo-catalytic property as well as a decreased but acceptable magnetic separation. Degradation of methylene blue dye in the presence of photo-catalytic powder prepared by ultrasonic and St?ber procedures was 61 and 69 %, respectively, within 90 minutes of UV light exposure.
Highlights
Due to the special properties and various potential use cases of composite nanoparticles with core/shell architectures, a large number of investigations have been devoted to prepare and study the properties of these nano-materials over the past decade [1, F
The synthesized magnetic nanoparticles and the photo-catalytic nanocomposites were characterized by the use of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, TE-SCAN Company, model MIRA3), transmission electron microscopy (Philips model CM120 operating at 120 kV, TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectra (Bruker, Tensor 27 Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR))
TEM micrographs indicated that all synthesized particles are covered with a layer composed of titanium oxide
Summary
Due to the special properties and various potential use cases of composite nanoparticles with core/shell architectures, a large number of investigations have been devoted to prepare and study the properties of these nano-materials over the past decade [1,. Iron oxide nanoparticles are prone to agglomeration due to their high specific surface area and magnetization Their surface is not suitable for fabrication of shell structures, and subsequent composite production. In order to establish stabilized solutions and to improve the distribution of these nanoparticles, several studies have used various protective agents to modify surface [20] Some of these modifications are cheap and easy, such as chemical co-precipitation method, which usually needs surfactants in order to control particles size and their distribution. Some other modifications are expensive and complex to perform, such as gamma ray exposure, which needs expensive precursors with special equipment [19] Chemical ultrasonic is another way for preventing agglomerate formation which is applicable for the production of a wide range of nanostructured materials. Ammonium hydroxide (28 wt.%, NH4OH), ethanol (C2H5OH), titanium isopropoxide (TTIP), tetrabutyl orthotitanate (TBOT), and acetonitrile (C2H3N) were supplied by Merck and were reagent grade
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