Facile synthesis of PANI-modified CoFe_2O_4–TiO_2 hierarchical flower-like nanoarchitectures with high photocatalytic activity

摘要

Polyaniline-modified CoFe_2O_4–TiO_2-nanocomposites (PCT) with hierarchical flower-like nanoarchitectures were successfully synthesized by a facile procedure. The PCT particles with diameters about 420–600 nm possess both nano- and microscale structures, and exhibit excellent light absorption properties both under UV and visible light irradiation. Meanwhile, it shows a dramatic enhancement of photocatalytic activity compared with corresponding PANI–CoFe_2O_4 and CoFe_2O_4–TiO_2 samples. The excellent photoactivity of PCT can be attributed to the synergistic effect of PANI, TiO_2, and CoFe_2O_4 in the ternary system, which leads to a rapid charge separation and slow charge recombination thereby resulting in a higher photocatalytic activity. In addition, the ferromagnetic properties of CoFe_2O_4 are maintained in the PCT composite to some extent, which can facilitate their separation from the liquid phase via application of an external magnetic field. Therefore, PCT nanocomposites are promising candidates for the effective photocatalytic treatment of wastewater.