Nanocomposite Fe3O4-MWCNTs based on femtosecond pulsed laser ablation for catalytic degradation

Magnetite nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites (Fe3O4/MWCNTs) were prepared using femtosecond pulsed laser ablation of iron target immersed in functionalized MWCNTs by facile one-pot synthesis of pulsed laser ablation in liquid environmental for catalytic degradation of 4-ntrophenol from aqueous solution. The easily obtained magnetic nanocomposites were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). According to XRD, magnetite is the magnetic phase that has formed. A network of MWCNTs is seen in the FESEM image, together with nano-iron oxides. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the reduction of the sp2 bond domains due to the strong contacts between iron oxide and MWCNT increased the D/G ratio, which may lead to structural distortions in the nanotubes. From FT-IR, the presence of new peaks in the finger print region related to Fe-O-Fe in Fe3O4, indicates that Fe3O4 has been successfully loaded onto the surface of MWCNTs. In addition, the prepared magnetic nanocomposite showed outstanding catalytic reduction activity for 4-NP when compared to MWCNTs and Fe3O4. The results demonstrated that the prepared nanocomposite could be a promising nanocatalyst for the catalytic reduction of 4-NP. The straight-forward, speedy, and dependable Fe3O4/MWCNTs-based approach was found to be a possibly relevant tech-nology for the targeted removal of pollutants and the treatment of wastewater.