Fe3O4@SiO2@AgO Nanocomposite: Synthesis, Characterization, and Investigation of its Photocatalytic Application

Abstract

Magnetic oxide nanocomposite (Fe3O4@SiO2@AgO), as the photocatalytic agent, was successfully synthesized through the simple chemical method. Besides, waste rice husk was used as the green source for silicon dioxide nanoparticles. The effect of AgO on the photocatalytic performance, degradation of phenol red under visible light, of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposite was examined through the absorption spectroscopy technique. The maximum degradation by Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposite was 55% under visible light. On other hand, after combining Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposite with AgO, degradation percentage was increased to 89% thanks to the effect of AgO on the charge recombination process which leads to enhancement of the electron–hole separation. In order to test the catalytic application of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposite, the impact of various parameters such as contact time, SiO2 concentration, and absorbent concentration on the desulfurization process of model oil was investigated. The efficiencies of removing dibenzothiophene from the fuel by Fe3O4 nanoparticles, SiO2 nanoparticles, and Fe3O4-SiO2 nanocomposite were 34.9%, 65.6%, and 78.2%, respectively, under optimum conditions.