Photodegradation of organic water pollutants using magnetically separable and reusable novel Ag-doped Fe3O4/TiO2 nanocomposites synthesized by green route

• Published in: Inorganic chemistry communications 2025-02, Vol.172, p.113749, Article 113749
• Main Authors: Yahya, Syarifah Nihlah, Istiqomah, Nurul Imani, Sari, Emi Kurnia, Asri, Nining Sumawati, Darmawan, Mahardika Yoga, Tumbelaka, Rivaldo Marsel, Adrianto, Nanang, Suharyadi, Edi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Fe3O4/TiO2; Green-synthesis; Methylene blue; Nanocomposites; Photocatalyst
• ISSN: 1387-7003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.inoche.2024.113749

[Display omitted] •Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 were prepared by green synthesis utilizing Moringa oleifera leaf extract.•Green-synthesized Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 exhibit a good magnetic behavior.•High degradation of methylene blue was achieved by Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 photocatalyst.•High stability photocatalytic was achieved by Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 for 3 cycles.•Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 were easy to separate from the degraded solution using magnet. Organic dye water pollutant is known for its harmful effects on environmental and public health due to its toxicity. The photocatalysis method is employed to reduce organic dye pollutant to a less dangerous state. TiO2 exhibits high photocatalytic activity and stability, yet in scenarios with concentrated waste and high TiO2 levels, light penetration to reach the catalyst surface can be challenging. To address this, TiO2 is combined with silver (Ag) to enhance light absorption through a plasmonic effect. Additionally, the combination with iron oxide (Fe3O4) aims to help easy separation from the pollutant using an external magnetic field, resulting in the Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite. In this study, green synthesis of Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 using Moringa oleifera leaf extract and varying AgNO3 concentrations (0, 20, 60, and 100 mM) was successfully explored. The Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 composite was applied to degrade 7 ppm of MB under UV light for 120 min. X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of spinel Fe3O4, Ag, and TiO2 (anatase) phases, with particles sized at 37.82 nm according to transmission electron microscopy. Electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed Fe, O, Ag, and Ti weight percentages of 33.4 %, 37.1 %, 8.3 %, and 21.2 %, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed functional groups such as O–H, N–H, Fe-O, and TiO2-Ag at specific wavenumbers. UV–visible spectrometry showed a bandgap energy of 1.69 eV while vibrating sample magnetometry demonstrated superparamagnetic properties with a saturation magnetization of 21.13 emu/g with a domain size of about 7.4 emu/g Oe−1. The degradation results, reaching up to 97.6 % and have good stability for reusable photocatalysis process. Fe3O4/Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite shows the promise for efficient degradation of organic dye water pollutants in various environmental applications.