Constructing 3D magnetic flower-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Co3O4@BiOCl heterojunction photocatalyst for degrading rhodamine B

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Dec;29(58):87310-87318. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-21830-6. Epub 2022 Jul 8.

Abstract

In this work, the 3D magnetic flower-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Co3O4@BiOCl heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully prepared. The combination of BiOCl with Co3O4 favored to increase specific surface area and separate photo-generated carriers of the resulting composite, resulting in the improvement of catalytic efficiency. The photocatalytic activities of Fe3O4@SiO2@Co3O4@BiOCl were researched in details. In 50 min of visible light, the degradation efficiency for rhodamine B (RhB) of Fe3O4@SiO2@Co3O4@BiOCl was 98.41%. It still maintained 94.22% even after three tests. Furthermore, the photodegradation mechanisms were also investigated, indicating that the improved efficiency was ascribed to the superior separation of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. This study supplies a new perception to fabricate photocatalysts for actual uses.

Keywords: Flower-like structure; Photocatalytic activity; Photodegradation mechanisms; RhB.