Magnetically recoverable Fe3O4-ZnO/AOT nanocomposites: Synthesis of a core–shell structure via a novel and mild route for photocatalytic degradation of toxic dyes

Abstract

Using emulsion nanoreactors, the present study has introduced an innovative, cost-effective, and time-efficient approach to synthesize Fe3O4-ZnO core/shell nanocomposites (NCPs) at room temperature. The XRD, EDAX, FE-SEM, TEM, FT-IR, PL, and UV–Vis analyses have been used to characterize the shape, structure, chemical composition, purity, crystallite phase, and spectroscopic and photocatalytic properties of the prepared NCPs. Based on the observations, under UV–visible light irradiation, Fe3O4-ZnO NCPs with 85:15 and 80:20M ratios of ZnO to Fe3O4 demonstrate superior photocatalytic activity for the degradation of the methylene blue (MB, as a model of cationic dye) and Procion Red MX-5B (PR, as a model of anionic dye), respectively. Moreover, effect of the Fe3O4-ZnO NCPs amount on the MB and PR dyes degradation has also been fully investigated. These core/shell NCPs have significantly been reutilized for several times while their catalytic properties have remained unchanged. This result demonstrates the high photocatalytic stability of the prepared NCPs.