Microfluidic Assembly Synthesis of Magnetic TiO 2 @SiO 2 Hybrid Photonic Crystal Microspheres for Photocatalytic Degradation of Deoxynivalenol

Mycotoxin contamination is a serious threat to food safety and human health. The development of efficient degradation strategies targeting mycotoxins is valuable. In this paper, magnetic TiO2@SiO2 hybrid photonic crystal microspheres (MHPCMs) were designed and prepared by the water-in-oil droplet method through a simple two-phase home-made microfluidic device for the degradation of deoxynivalenol (DON), the most serious mycotoxin contaminating cereals and feeding samples among natural mycotoxins. The morphologies of the synthesized microspheres were investigated by both metallurgical microscope and scanning electronic microscope (SEM), confirming that MHPCMs have a spherical shape and regular photonic crystal nanostructures. In the self-assembly system, TiO2 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles were responsible to form photocatalytic sites and magnet response, respectively. The effect of the TiO2 and Fe3O4 contents in the microspheres on their morphology and photocatalytic degradation activity was studied in detail. Finally, the optimized MHPCM could degrade DON in water under the light irradiation and be recycled easily by magnet.