Synthesis and photocatalytic performance of recyclable core-shell mesoporous Fe3O4@Bi2WO6 nanoparticles

Composite photocatalysts composed of semiconductor and magnetic matters are of great concern due to their excellent catalytic and recyclable performances. In this work, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are modified by a fibrous mesoporous silica layer (F-SiO2), on which a mesoporous Bi2WO6 shell is grown in situ through hydrothermal reaction. Along with the formation of Bi2WO6 shell, the F-SiO2 layer fades away by the acid etching. As a result, novel spherical core-shell mesoporous Fe3O4@Bi2WO6 nanoparticles with a high BET surface area of 127.3 m(2)/g are fabricated. The photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation reveals that the mesoporous Fe3O4@Bi2WO6 nanoparticles show excellent physisorption and photocatalytic performances. The total removal ratio of MB can be achieved as high as 98%. Furthermore, the mesoporous Fe3O4@Bi2WO6 nanoparticles maintain high photocatalytic activity after five cycles. This work provides a new way to construct recyclable mesoporous Bi2WO6-based nanomaterials with high performance to remove organic pollutants.