Preparation of novel hybrid nanomaterials based on LaFeO₃ and phosphotungstic acid as a highly efficient magnetic photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue dye solution

Novel magnetic hybrid nanomaterials 1 (LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-NH₂/PW₁₂) were synthesized by supporting phosphotungstic acid (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀; PW₁₂) on LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ nanomaterials through sono-assisted method. The synthesized nanomaterials were fully characterized by using FT-IR, XRD, UV–vis, BET-BJH, VSM, SEM, and TEM analyses. FT-IR, XRD, and UV–vis confirmed successful synthesis of nanomaterials. The SEM and TEM images revealed spherical morphology with core-shell structure for hybrid nanomaterials 1. VSM results confirmed the magnetic property of hybrid nanomaterials 1 and suggested it as easily recyclable photocatalyst for removal of organic dyes from aqueous solution. The photocatalytic activity of hybrid nanomaterials 1 has been studied over the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) solution under UV–vis light irradiation. Importantly the hybrid nanomaterials 1 showed outstanding degradation efficiency for MB solution in comparison with bare LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ and PW₁₂. The photocatalytic activity was enhanced mainly due to the high efficiency in separation of electron–hole pairs induced by the remarkable synergistic effects of LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ and PW₁₂ semiconductors. After the photocatalytic reaction, the nanocomposite can be easily separated from the reaction solution and reused several times without loss of its photocatalytic activity. Trapping experiments indicated that hole (h_VB⁺) and ^•OH radicals were the main reactive species for dye degradation in the present photocatalytic system. On the basis of the experimental results and estimated band gaps, the mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed.