Electrospun TiO2 nanofibers integrating space-separated magnetic nanoparticles and heterostructures for recoverable and efficient photocatalyst

TiO2 nanofibers integrating space-separated magnetic nanoparticles and heterostructures have been fabricated to construct multifunctional photocatalysts with excellent photocatalytic activity and magnetic recoverability. The electrospinning technique has been employed to prepare the Fe3O4-embedded TiO2 (Fe3O4@TiO2) magnetic nanofibers. TiO2/CdS heterostructures (Fe3O4@TiO2/CdS) formed by depositing CdS nanoparticles onto the Fe3O4@TiO2 nanofibers have been obtained by a hydrothermal process. The heterostructures improve the photocatalytic activity and widen the range of solar light response. Under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of the Fe3O4@TiO2/CdS nanofibers is 5.11 times higher than that of the Fe3O4@TiO2 nanofibers and is 1.22 times than that of CdS nanoparticles. In addition, it exhibits a slight increase under simulated solar light with the photocatalytic degradation ratio 1.1 times higher than that under visible light. The loading amounts of CdS only have effects on the photocatalytic activity under visible light and simulated solar light. The Fe3O4@TiO2/CdS nanofiber exhibits a saturation magnetization strength of 1.572 emu g−1 and can be effortlessly separated and recovered by applying a contactless magnetic field. The cycling stability is durable after magnetic separation and recycling.