Feti- Sba-15 Magnetic Nanocomposites With Photocatalytic Properties

Several FeTi-SBA-15 magnetic nanocomposites were synthesized using different titanium precursors and synthesis methods. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N-2-adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Raman, UV-vis and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopic techniques. The photocatalytic performances were evaluated in degradation of methyl orange (MO) and phenol as water pollutant sources. All the obtained samples were either paramagnetic or superparamagnetic. The biggest Ti amount was found for the one-step synthesized FeTi-SBA-15 sample for which the highest photocatalytic activity was evidenced. The photocatalytic behavior of this sample has been compared to that of a two steps prepared FeTi-SBA-15 samples, Fe-SBA-15 and a reference sample containing SBA-15 with 5 % P25 titania. These results revealed a significant effect of iron on the photocatalytic activity and a synergism of Ti and Fe species. Besides efficiency, FeTi-SBA-15 demonstrated a good stability over five-successive photocatalytic cycles in MO degradation thus providing arguments for their good suitability for purification of wastewaters.