Magnetic photocatalysts with a p-n junction: Fe sub(3)O sub(4) nanoparticle and FeWO sub(4) nanowire heterostructures

Magnetic n-type semiconductor Fe sub(3)O sub(4) nanoparticle and p-type semiconductor FeWO sub(4) nanowire heterostructures were successfully synthesized without any surfactants or templates viaa facile one-step hydrothermal process at 160 degree C. The heterojunction structure and morphology were c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanoscale 2014-10, Vol.6 (21), p.12366-12370
Main Authors: Cao, Xuan, Chen, Yan, Jiao, Shihui, Fang, Zhenxing, Xu, Man, Liu, Xu, Li, Lu, Pang, Guangsheng, Feng, Shouhua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electron microscopy
Heterostructures
N-type semiconductors
Nanowires
P-n junctions
Permanent magnets
Photocatalysis
Photocatalysts
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Summary:Magnetic n-type semiconductor Fe sub(3)O sub(4) nanoparticle and p-type semiconductor FeWO sub(4) nanowire heterostructures were successfully synthesized without any surfactants or templates viaa facile one-step hydrothermal process at 160 degree C. The heterojunction structure and morphology were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Magnetic measurements indicated the coexistence of ferrimagnetic behavior of Fe sub(3)O sub(4) and weak antiferromagnetic behavior of FeWO sub(4). The degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV-Visible light irradiation was studied as a model experiment to evaluate the catalytic activity of the Fe sub(3)O sub(4)/FeWO sub( 4) heterostructure p-n junctions. The decomposition efficiency was 97.1% after one hour UV-Visible irradiation. This magnetic photocatalyst can be easily recovered from the solution using a permanent magnet and redispersed by removing the magnet.
ISSN:2040-3364
2040-3372
DOI:10.1039/c4nr03729d