A novel magnetically separable TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanofiber with high photocatalytic activity under UV–vis light

A novel magnetically separable heterogeneous photocatalyst TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanofiber was prepared by sol–gel method and electrospinning technology, followed by heat treatment at 550 °C for 2 h. The phase structure, morphology and magnetic property of the composite nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and vibrating sample magnetometer analysis. The photocatalytic studies of TiO2/CoFe2O4 fibers suggested that the presence of CoFe2O4 not only enhanced the absorbance of UV light, but also broadened the response region to visible light. The decolorizing efficiency of methylene blue (MB) solution reaches 95.87% over TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanofibers under 300 W Hg lamp after 5 h, which is close to that of Degussa P25. Furthermore, these fibers can be collected with a magnet for reuse and effectively avoid the secondary pollution of the treated water.

A novel magnetically separable composite photocatalyst TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanofiber was prepared by sol–gel method and electrospinning technique, which can be reclaimed with a magnet, and the decolorizing efficiency of MB solution reached 95.87%.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► The composite TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanofibers with diameter of 110 ± 28 nm have been successfully synthesized by the combination of sol–gel method and electrospinning technique.
► The presence of Co2+ or/and Fe3+ ions may occupy some of the lattice sites of TiO2 to form an iron–titanium solid solution and narrow the band gap, which broadens the response region of visible light.
► The resultant nanofibers not only have high decomposition efficiency with methylene blue (MB) under the UV irradiation, which is close to that of Degussa P25, but also can be separated with a magnet and avoid the secondary pollution of the treated water.