Combination of ternary Fe3O4/TiO2/CuO nanocomposites and nanographene platelets: High performance photo and sonocatalysis

• Main Authors: Taufik, Ardiansyah, Saleh, Rosari
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anchoring; Catalysis; Catalytic activity; Chemical synthesis; Copper oxides; Degradation; Fourier transforms; Infrared absorption; Infrared analysis; Iron oxides; Irradiation; Magnetic measurement; Methylene blue; Nanocomposites; Photocatalysis; Physical properties; Platelets (materials); Sol-gel processes; Thermogravimetric analysis; Titanium dioxide; X ray spectra; X-ray diffraction; Zinc plating
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4968290

Ternary iron-zinc-copper-nanographene platelets with Fe3O4/TiO2 in various CuO loadings were prepared by anchoring the Fe3O4/TiO2/CuO onto the surface of nanographene platelets using the sol-gel method at low temperature. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by various characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and vibrating sample magnetometry. The catalytic activity of the as-synthesized samples was investigated based on the degradation of methylene blue under UV and ultrasonic irradiation separately. The as-synthesized sample with the Fe3O4/TiO2: CuO molar ratio of 1: 0.1 showed good catalysis efficiency and high rate constant under both light and ultrasonic irradiation. The incorporation of nanographene platelets results in a significantly higher catalytic activity compared to that of the same catalyst prepared without nanographene platelets. The degradation of methylene blue follows the order sonocatalysis > photocatalysis. In addition, the degradation process was also studied regarding the influence of several experimental parameters, and reasonable mechanism of photocatalysis has been proposed by correlating the active radical species involved with the physical properties of the as-synthesized samples.