Preparation and characterization of magnetic TiO2/ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts by a sol–gel method

A magnetic TiO2/ZnFe2O4 photocatalyst was prepared by a sol-gel method, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic and photocatalytic properties analysis were employed to characterize this photocatalyst. The XRD results show that ZnFe2O4 can prevent the transformation of titania from anatase to rutile. The magnetic properties analysis indicates that TiO2/ZnFe2O4 is of large saturation magnetization value and low coercivity. The photocatalytic experimental results show that TiO2/ZnFe2O4=3 and 4 are superior in photocatalytic reactivity to other proportions. TEM shows that TiO2/ZnFe2O4 has a fine core-shell fabric. After being used for four times during the photocatalytic reaction, the TiO2/ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles have good photocatalytic stability.