Synthesis of stable core–shell structured TiO2@Fe3O4 based on carbon derived from yeast with an enhanced photocatalytic ability

By using yeast as the carbon source, stable core–shell structured TiO2@Fe3O4 based on carbon (TiO2@Fe3O4-carbon) was obtained. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2@Fe3O4-carbon reached 82.6%, which was much higher than that of others; the enhanced photocatalytic activity originated from the good conductivity of carbon. Meanwhile, TiO2@Fe3O4-carbon also exhibited excellent stability during the photocatalytic reaction after 6 repeated cycles. In addition, a plausible mechanism was proposed and discussed on the basis of experimental results.