A spray pyrolysis synthesis of MnFe2O4/SnO2 yolk/shell composites for magnetically recyclable photocatalyst

Abstract The MnFe 2 O 4 /SnO 2 yolk/shell structured composites were synthesized through an organics assisted spray pyrolysis process. The yolk/shell structure of as-synthesized particles was confirmed by both SEM and TEM, indicating that solid MnFe 2 O 4 particle was captured inside a hollow SnO 2 particle. The crystallization was investigated by XRD, which confirmed the existence of both SnO 2 and MnFe 2 O 4 phases. The VSM characterization showed that the yolk/shell structure had good magnetic properties. The photocatalytic performance of MnFe 2 O 4 /SnO 2 yolk/shell particles was investigated through a methyl orange degradation reaction under UV irradiation. The stability of the particles was also investigated by running the reactions in four cycles.