Synthesis of CoFe2O4/MCM-41/TiO2 composite microspheres and its performance in degradation of phenol

The core–shell structural magnetically separable catalyst CoFe2O4/MCM-41/TiO2 composite microspheres were synthesized, and the catalytic properties were systematically studied. Specifically, the preformed monodisperse magnetic CoFe2O4 particles were prepared by solvothermal method, the intermediate MCM-41 layer was prepared by the method of liquid crystal templating mechanism and subsequent TiO2 layer was synthesized by the method of esters precipitation. In this approach, the CoFe2O4/MCM-41/TiO2 composite microspheres synthesized under optimum condition were spherical particles, about 660 nm in diameter. It consisted of mesoporous structure with a surface area of 682.83 m2 g−1, an average pore size of 2.93 nm and excellent magnetic properties of 7.43 emu g−1. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated under simulated sunlight irradiation using the photocatalytic degradation of phenol as a model reaction. The prepared CoFe2O4/MCM-41/TiO2 composite microspheres showed higher photodegradation ability for phenol than Degussa P25. The degradation of phenol achieved up to 85% after 120 min under simulated sunlight irradiation, and the composite microspheres could be recycled and reused. The synthesized magnetic hybrid composite microspheres displayed high photocatalytic efficiency and potential applications for cleaning polluted water with the help of magnetic separation.