One-step synthesis of TiO2/Fe3O4/C hydrophilic magnetic nanocomposites using the magnetized submerged arc discharge method

This study investigates the production of TiO2/Fe3O4/C hydrophilic magnetic nanocomposites produced via a one-step novel method using the submerged arc discharge method applied in liquid media of ethanol and ethanol-ammonia under the influence of external magnetic field. The magnetized submerged arc discharge forms a longer-lasting plasma arc, thereby affecting the growth of spherical and tubular carbon nanocomposites. More reactive species enrolled in the carbon growth in the magnetized submerged arc discharge, resulting in the ordered crystalline structure. The nanocomposites synthesized in ethanol-ammonia show hydrophilic characteristics, indicated by their dispersion improvement in the water and the presence of the vibrations of hydroxyl, amine, and -CN functional groups in Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectra. The preparation technique described in this study using magnetized submerged arc discharge is supposed to be a simple and less costly preparation method that can potentially be further applied to produce numerous other nanocomposites. {GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT}