Rational design of magnetically separable core/shell FeO/ZnO heterostructures for enhanced visible-light photodegradation performance

• Published in: RSC advances 2021-06, Vol.11 (36), p.22317-22326
• Main Authors: Pham, Hoai Linh, Nguyen, Van Dang, Nguyen, Van Khien, Le, Thi Hong Phong, Ta, Ngoc Bach, Pham, Do Chung, Tran, Quoc Toan, Dang, Van Thanh
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ra03468e

Magnetically separable core/shell Fe 3 O 4 /ZnO heteronanostructures (MSCSFZ) were synthesized by a facile approach, and their application for enhanced solar photodegradation of RhB was studied. The formation mechanism of MSCSFZ was proposed, in which Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles served as a template for supporting and anchoring the ZnO crystal layer as the shells. The morphology of MSCSFZ can be varied from spherical to rice seed-like structures, and the bandgap was able to be narrowed down to 2.78 eV by controlling the core-shell ratios. As a result, the MSCSFZ exhibited excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity for degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution as compared to the controlled ZnO nanoparticles. Moreover, MSCSFZ could be easily detached from RhB solution and maintained its performance after 4 cycles of usage. This work provides new insights for the design of high-efficient core/shell recyclable photocatalysts with visible light photocatalytic performance. Magnetically separable core/shell Fe 3 O 4 /ZnO heteronanostructures (MSCSFZ) were synthesized by a facile approach, and their application for enhanced solar photodegradation of RhB was studied.