One-pot approach for synthesis of N-doped TiO2/ZnFe2O4 hybrid as an efficient photocatalyst for degradation of aqueous organic pollutants.
N-doped TiO2/ZnFe2O4 catalysts were successfully prepared by coupling nitrogen modified TiO2 with ZnFe2O4 via a one-pot vapor-thermal method. The physicochemical properties of the as-prepared catalysts have been characterized using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The UV-vis-light-driven photocatalytic activities of the hybrids were evaluated and the effects of the amount of photocatalyst, different types of dyes, catalyst stability on photodegradation of organic dyes were investigated. Moreover, degradation kinetics and mechanism as well as the roles of N doping, ZnFe2O4 and TiO2 have been analyzed. It was revealed that N-doped TiO2/ZnFe2O4 exhibited an improved performance compared with TiO2/ZnFe2O4 or ZnFe2O4 because of the formation of a heterostructure at the interface as well as the introduction of N species. Active species such as holes, electrons, hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide radicals involved in the photodegradation process were detected by using different types of scavengers. Because of ZnFe2O4 in the hybrid, the catalyst shows ferromagnetism, and thus, the hybrid catalyst is easily isolated from the reaction mixture after the photocatalytic experiments. This work not only offers a simple method for the fabrication of N doped TiO2/ZnFe2O4 hybrids, but also provides an effective and conveniently recyclable photocatalyst for the purification of water.
Anhui Key Lab of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Tunxi Road 193, Hefei 230009, China; State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 210009, China; School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China. Electronic address: yaoyunjin@gmail.com.
Yunjin
Y
Yao
Anhui Key Lab of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Tunxi Road 193, Hefei 230009, China.
Jiacheng
J
Qin
Anhui Key Lab of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Tunxi Road 193, Hefei 230009, China.
Hao
H
Chen
Anhui Key Lab of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Tunxi Road 193, Hefei 230009, China.
Fengyu
F
Wei
Anhui Key Lab of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Tunxi Road 193, Hefei 230009, China.
Xueting
X
Liu
Anhui Key Lab of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Tunxi Road 193, Hefei 230009, China.
Jianlong
J
Wang
Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, G.P.O. Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia. Electronic address: shaobin.wang@curtin.edu.au.
Shaobin
S
Wang
D002384:Catalysis; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D010777:Photochemistry; D010782:Photolysis; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis*
D005290:Ferric Compounds; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012235:Rhodamines; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C009495:titanium dioxide; C000499:ferric oxide; D014025:Titanium; C029773:rhodamine B
Magnetic separation; N-doping; Organic pollutant; Photocatalysis; TiO(2); ZnFe(2)O(4)