Ag/Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ Composite: Ternary Magnetically Separable UV-light-driven Photocatalyst for Removal Methylene Blue Dyes

In this research, we demonstrate the preparation of ternary Ag/Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ composites as a novel magnetically separable UV-light-driven photocatalyst. The Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ composites were successfully synthesized by using two-step methods, that is, sol-gel followed by ultrasonic-assisted method. Furthermore, the Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ composites were coupled with silver through ultrasound-assisted method. The prepared samples were fairly characterized by using X-Ray Diffraction and UV-Vis DRS spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of this composite was tested to degrade methylene blue dyes under UV-light irradiation. The influence of catalyst dosage, initial concentration, and scavengers of active species were investigated and the results were discussed. Compared with Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ sample, the Ag/Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ composite with three weight ratio (5%, 15%, and 25%) of Ag to Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ display higher photocatalytic activity. Among three variations of the weight ratio of Ag to Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂, 15% weight ratio of Ag in Ag/Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ exhibits the superior photocatalytic performance followed by weight ratio of 25% and 5%. Moreover, the composite was found to be a reusable catalyst.