Preparation of Magnetic Photocatalyst Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@SiO<sub>2</sub>@Fe-TiO<sub>2</sub> and Photocatalytic Degradation Performance of Methyl Orange in Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> Solution

In this study, Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@SiO<sub>2</sub>@TiO<sub>2</sub> (FS-FT (0 g)) photocatalysts, featuring a magnetic core–shell structure, and Fe-doped Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@SiO<sub>2</sub>@Fe-TiO<s...

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Main Authors: Li Sun, Zilong Li, Zhigang Yuan, Ying Liu, Shunqi Mei, Fanhe Meng, Xingyu Ouyang, Yi Xiong, Ke Zhang, Zhen Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3781
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Summary:In this study, Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@SiO<sub>2</sub>@TiO<sub>2</sub> (FS-FT (0 g)) photocatalysts, featuring a magnetic core–shell structure, and Fe-doped Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@SiO<sub>2</sub>@Fe-TiO<sub>2</sub> (FS-FT (x g)) photocatalysts, were fabricated via the sol–gel method. Structural and compositional analyses of the processed samples were systematically conducted through X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical property assessment via UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS). The results show that TiO<sub>2</sub> on the outer layer of FS-FT (0 g) and FS-FT (x g) has an anatase structure, and that Fe is doped into FS-FT (x g). The photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) using FS-FT (0 g) and FS-FT (x g) with various Fe doping levels was evaluated in both pure MO (C<sub>0</sub> = 10 mg/L) and MO-Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-blended solutions. Under irradiation with high-pressure mercury lamps, the removal rates of MO using FS-FT (0 g) and FS-FT (0.36 g) in pure MO solution reached 90.25% and 99% at 25 min, respectively, which indicates that FS-FT (0.36 g) can enhance photocatalytic performance. The removal rates of MO using FS-FT (0 g) and FS-FT (0.36 g) in MO-Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-blended solution (C<sub>0</sub> = 10 mg/L, C<sub>Na2SO4</sub> = 12.5 g/L) reached 92.38% and 97.16% at 25 min, respectively. The removal rate of MO using FS-FT (0.36 g) decreased in MO-Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-blended solution in the previous 25 min, which indicates that Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> can inhibit degradation using FS-FT (0.36 g). The degradation experiments of MO-Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-blended solutions with different concentrations of Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> using FS-FT (0.36 g) showed that as the concentration of Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> increases, the inhibitory effect becomes more pronounced. Recovery and recycling experiments confirmed that the photocatalyst exhibited robust degradation performance over multiple cycles. Kinetic analysis of the photocatalytic data, based on a first-order model, was conducted to explore the underlying degradation principles.
ISSN:2076-3417