A novel Fe3O4@SiO2@BiOBr photocatalyst with highly active visible light photocatalytic properties

• A novel visible-light-responding photocatalyst Fe3O4@SiO2@BiOBr was synthesized.
• Fe3O4@SiO2@BiOBr exhibited excellent catalytic activity by the decomposition of RhB.
• The as-prepared photocatalysts can be easily recollected with a magnet.
• The higher catalytic activity can be contributed to the intermediate silica layer.

A novel Fe3O4@SiO2@BiOBr photocatalyst was synthesized through a solvothermal method with the addition of core–shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles. The results show that the photocatalyst is flower-like microspheres with diameters ranging from 2 μm to 3 μm. The as-prepared photocatalyst shows excellent photocatalytic performance in degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm) with superior stability and reusability. The introduction of the silica interlayer can suppress the direct contact of the Fe3O4 core and BiOBr to a great extent, resulting in the increased separation efficiency of the photo-induced electron–hole pairs and then higher photocatalytic performance. Furthermore, it can be completely recovered simply by applying an external magnetic field, indicating highly potential applications in wastewater treatment without secondary pollution.

The microsphere photocatalyst Fe3O4@SiO2@BiOBr has been successfully synthesized through a solvothermal process. The photocatalyst with Fe3O4 core has both higher photocatalytic activity and strong magnetism which made its easy to separate from the solution.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide