Phosphotungstic acid supported on aminosilica functionalized perovskite-type LaFeO3 nanoparticles: a novel recyclable and excellent visible-light photocatalyst

In this research, a novel nanohybrid compound, LaFeO3@SiO2-NH2/PTA has been prepared, in which H3PW12O40 (abbreviated as PTA) was successfully anchored onto the surface of 3-aminopropylsilica modified LaFeO3. The resultant nanohybrid compound was characterized with XRD, FT-IR, ICP-MS, FESEM, EDX, TEM, BET, and AFM techniques. The magnetic properties of all the synthesized compounds and hybrid compound were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. The photocatalytic activity of the hybrid compound was assessed by degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Compared with the bare LaFeO3 and pure PTA, the newly synthesized hybrid compound exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. This enhancement could be attributed to the synergistic effect between LaFeO3 and PTA. After the photocatalytic reaction, the hybrid compound can be easily separated from the reaction solution and reused several times without loss of its photocatalytic activity. Moreover, a possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed.