Design and development of a novel SiFeO3/CuWO4 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of organic dyes

In this study, we have reported the facile synthesis approach and photocatalytic performance of a novel magnetic based heterojunction for the efficient degradation of organic dyes under mild reaction conditions. The as prepared BiFeO3/CuWO4 heterojunction was characterized by means of various characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping and Vibration sample magnetometery (VSM). The photocatalytic performance of the prepared heterojunctions was evaluated for the degradation of methylene orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RhB) as an organic dyes under visible light irradiation. According to the obtained results BiFeO3/CuWO4 heterojunction shows outstanding photodegradating behavior vs. MO and RhB compared to pure BiFeO3 and CuWO4. Maximum degradation efficiency of 87 and 85% were achieved for the MO and RhB dyes, respectively. Furthermore, BiFeO3/CuWO4 heterojunction was particularly durable after five consecutive photocatalytic activity. The present study not only provides a new method for the synthesis of highly efficient magnetic based heterojunctions, but also facilitates their practical application in environmental remediation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.