Hierarchical structured ZnFe2O4@SiO2@TiO2 composite for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Abstract The preparation and application of magnetic photocatalyst has become an important subject in removal of organic pollutant. In this study, ZnFe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 @TiO 2 (hereafter ZST) photocatalysts were facilely synthesized via a sol-gel method. The load amount of TiO 2 particles could be tailored by controlling TBOT dosage in ZST composites. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Under visible light irradiation, the ZST40 catalyst displayed superior photocatalytic performance. The degradation ratio of MB was up to 95.1% in 2 h, which demonstrated that the catalyst with larger specific surface area and mesoporous structure had a better catalytic performance in degrading MB. In addition, the ZST catalyst exhibited excellent chemical stability and recyclability after eight recycling runs. We anticipate that controllable synthesis of ZST photocatalysts has promising applications in environment treatment.