A spray pyrolysis synthesis of MnFe2O4/SnO2 yolk/shell composites for magnetically recyclable photocatalyst

The MnFe2O4/SnO2 yolk/shell structured composites were synthesized through an organics assisted spray pyrolysis process. The yolk/shell structure of as-synthesized particles was confirmed by both SEM and TEM, indicating that solid MnFe2O4 particle was captured inside a hollow SnO2 particle. The crystallization was investigated by XRD, which confirmed the existence of both SnO2 and MnFe2O4 phases. The VSM characterization showed that the yolk/shell structure had good magnetic properties. The photocatalytic performance of MnFe2O4/SnO2 yolk/shell particles was investigated through a methyl orange degradation reaction under UV irradiation. The stability of the particles was also investigated by running the reactions in four cycles.