Synthesis of Magnetically Separable and Recyclable g-C₃N₄–Fe₃O₄ Hybrid Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance under Visible-Light Irradiation

Abstract

Herein we demonstrate a facile, reproducible, and templatefree strategy to prepare g-C 3 N 4 −Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites by an in situ growth mechanism. The results indicate that monodisperse Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles with diameters as small as 8 nm are uniformly deposited on g-C 3 N 4 sheets, and as a result, aggregation of the Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles is effectively prevented. The as-prepared g-C 3 N 4 −Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B under visible-light irradiation. Interestingly, the g-C 3 N 4 − Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites showed good recyclability without loss of apparent photocatalytic activity even after six cycles, and more importantly, g-C 3 N 4 − Fe 3 O 4 could be recovered magnetically. The high performance of the g-C 3 N 4 −Fe 3 O 4 photocatalysts is due to a synergistic effect including the large surface-exposure area, high visible-light-absorption efficiency, and enhanced charge-separation properties. In addition, the superparamagnetic behavior of the as-prepared g-C 3 N 4 −Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites also makes them promising candidates for applications in the fields of lithium storage capacity and bionanotechnology.

Cu and Fe oxides dispersed on SBA-15: A Fenton type bimetallic catalyst for N,N -diethyl- p -phenyl diamine degradation

“…11a,b) revealed significant changes in the organic species present, with the intensities of C H and C C bands [51,52] between 2800 and 3000 cm −1 and 1000-1500 cm −1 (indicative of alkyl, amine and phenyl groups) decreasing post-reaction. Atomic absorption spectroscopy of the filtrate and spent catalyst recovered after DPD degradation revealed negligible Cu and Fe leaching (<0.5 ppm and 0.2 ppm leached respectively), equating to ∼2-5% of the original transition metal incorporated into the catalyst.…”

g-C3N4-Based Nanomaterials for Visible Light-Driven Photocatalysis

“…Consequently, these hybrid core-shell nanostructures showed greatly enhanced visible light photocatalysis for RhB degradation compared to pure N-doped ZnO surface or g-C 3 N 4 components (Figure 22Ac) [240]. A facile, reproducible, and template-free synthesis has also been demonstrated to prepare magnetically separable g-C 3 N 4 −Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites (Figure 22Ba) [37]. Monodispersed Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles with 8 nm diameter were uniformly deposited over g-C 3 N 4 sheets (Figure 22Bb) and exhibited enhanced charge separation and photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation under visible light irradiation (Figure 22Bc).…”

Advances in Magnetically Separable Photocatalysts: Smart, Recyclable Materials for Water Pollution Mitigation

“…This was due to a decrease in the surface area, poor interaction with the reaction medium, and limited exposure of the photocatalyst to light [72,73]. Since neither the photocatalytic activity nor the easy separation can be sacrificed, researchers turned their interests to magnetic nanoparticles as integral ingredients for developing photocatalysts, which were easily separated from water with an external magnetic field [74][75][76]. Magnetic nanoparticles such as haematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ), maghemite (γ-Fe 2 O 3 ), magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ), ferrites (MFe 2 O 4 , M = Mg, Ni, Zn, Cu, Co, Cd, etc.…”