Efficient Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Removal of Salicylic Acid Using Sulfur-Doped Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 Composite

This research has prepared Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2-S composite materials as magnetic photocatalysts. Detailed characterization of the composite materials was undertaken using FTIR, XRD, TEM, VSM, and DRUV. The photocatalytic activity of composite materials was conducted through salicylic acid degradation under visible light illumination. The result based on the infrared spectra and XRD diffractogram revealed the appearance of the characteristic peak of Fe3O4, SiO2, and S-TiO2. The sulfur doping causes an absorption edge shift toward a higher wavelength. Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2-S 3% composite material had the narrowest band gap energy of 2.77 eV and presented good photocatalytic activity with a percentage degradation of 91.6% under visible light during 60 min of illumination time. The composite exhibited recoverable efficiency due to its magnetic properties.