Ternary magnetic Ag–Cu/Fe3O4/rGO composite as an efficient photocatalyst for degradation of malachite green

• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-018-9881-7
• Publication Date: 2018-08-22T06:23:05Z
• Authors: Zhiju Zhao; Zhenyu Cai; Liqin Yang; Zhangji Hu; Yingli Zhang; Xingjie Peng; Qiqi Wang; Xueling Yuan; Guanghua Li
• Keywords: Malachite green; Degradation

In this paper, a multi-metal graphene magnetic composite with Ag, Cu and Fe3O4 (Ag–Cu/Fe3O4/rGO) was successfully synthesized by a simple chemical reduction. The composites were characterized by a set of physical characterizations, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and UV–Vis spectrum. The photocatalytic performance was studied by utilizing the Ag–Cu/Fe3O4/rGO in degradation of malachite green (MG). The experimental results showed that the Ag–Cu/Fe3O4/rGO had significantly photocatalytic activity in terms of degradation of MG. Multi-metal doping in the Ag–Cu/Fe3O4/rGO composite can obviously improve the absorption in the visible light region. More importantly, the Ag–Cu/Fe3O4/rGO could be easily recovered from solution with a magnet. The multi-metal magnetic Ag–Cu/Fe3O4/rGO composite might be a suitable material in many fields, especially in wastewater treatment.