Synthesis and photocatalysis of novel magnetic reduced graphene oxide-ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites with highly efficient interface-induced effect

Abstract

Interface-induced effect of nanocomposites are attracting many attentions because the potential advantages in environment decontamination. This work present the synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activities of novel reduced graphene oxide-ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites. The nanocomposites showed obviously greater sunlight-excited photocatalytic and Fenton-like photocatalytic activities than the nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activities enhanced with increasing rGO/ZnFe2O4 ratio and related with initial pH and H2O2 content. The good photocatalytic activities are ascribed to the interface charge transfer that is confirmed by optical conducitivity. Moreover, the nanoparticles and nanocomposites was ferromagnetic, thereby being magnetically separable. The nanocomposites also showed good adsorption ability to the dye, and so the remained dye and intermediates can be magnetically removed together with the reusable nanocomposites.