Novel magnetically separable Ag3PO4@CuFe2O4 micro-nanocomposite with highly enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

An effective visible-light-driven Ag3PO4@CuFe2O4 Z-scheme magnetic micro-nanocomposite was successfully fabricated by a simple ion-exchange deposition method. The Ag3PO4@CuFe2O4 photocatalyst exhibited remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity (degradation efficiency was similar to 99% within 30 min and kinetic constant reached 0.1423 min(-1)) as compared to Ag3PO4 and CuFe2O4 for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). Comparing the activity results dependence with the characterization results, which indicated that the dependence of the photocatalytic activity on the efficient separation of photo-generated h(+)-e(-) pairs. This study might provide a promising visible light responsive photocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in waste water. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.