Photocatalytic performance and quick recovery of BiOI/Fe3O4@graphene oxide ternary photocatalyst for photodegradation of 2,4-dintirophenol under visible light

Herein, we immobilized BiOI/Fe3O4 photocatalyst on graphene oxide (GO) using simple co-precipitation method. The formation of BiOI/Fe3O4@GO was ascertained by various analytical techniques viz. FESEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, and photoluminescence techniques. SEM and TEM analysis clearly demonstrated the dispersion of BiOI and Fe3O4 on the GO surface. BiOI/Fe3O4@GO photocatalyst exhibited superparamagnetic character and was magnetically separated from the reaction solution. The thickness of BiOI/Fe3O4@GO was less than 17.0 nm. The band gap of BiOI/Fe3O4@GO was 1.78 eV. BiOI/Fe3O4@GO exhibited significant photocatalytic activity for 2,4 dinitrophenol (DNP) degradation under visible light. The reaction conditions were optimized to attain maximum degradation of DNP. The results showed that concurrent occurring of adsorption and photocatalytic processes cause a higher degree of DNP degradation. The DNP was completely converted into CO2 and H2O in 2 h. Enhanced DNP degradation was due to suppression in recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in BiOI. The as-prepared photocatalyst displayed substantial stability and recycling efficiency after 10 catalytic cycles. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.