Synthesis of magnetic photocatalyst and sensitization properties of polypyrrole

In order to solve the difficulty of separation and recycling of TiO2 and its lower utilization of solar radiation, a new type of TiO2 photocatalyst, which was sensitized by polypyrrole (PPy) and carried by self-made modified Fe3O4, named PPy-TiO2/M-Fe3O4, was fabricated successfully by combining suspension dispersion and in situ polymerization. The structure of photocatalyst and Fe3O4 was characterized using X-ray diffraction, the Fourier transmission infrared spectrometer, and scanning electron microscopy. Light response property was tested by ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra. Photocatalytic activity was evaluated with methyl orange as the degradation substance under different light radiation. Magnetic recovery property was investigated by using vibrating sample magnetometer and gravimetric analysis methods. The results showed that due to sensitization of PPy, the light response scope of PPy-TiO2/M-Fe3O4 was broadened to 451 nm and the degradation rate of methyl orange had been increased by 32.5% under the same conditions. Meanwhile, the recovery rate of PPy-TiO2/M-Fe3O4 remained above 97.9% after five cycles