PVP-assisted synthesis and photocatalytic properties of magnetic Fe3O4/SiO2/BiOBr composite

In this study, a magnetic Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 /BiOBr composite photocatalyst was controllably synthesized a PVP-assisted solvothermal method. The Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 /BiOBr composites are composed of many three-dimensional (3D) flower-like BiOBr microspheres loaded with many spherical Fe 3 O 4 particles. The formation mechanism and effect of PVP’s concentration on the products were investigated and proposed. Experimental results showed that PVP might act as a potential crystal plane inhibitor in the system as well as the stabilizer on the surface of BiOBr nanoplates. The Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 /BiOBr displayed high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB under visible light irradiation, after which it can be easily recovered by applying an external magnetic field. Moreover, the as-prepared photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability and reusability in the cycled experiments.