Fe₃O₄-Ag₂WO₄: Facile synthesis, characterization and visible light assisted photocatalytic activity

A Fe₃O₄-Ag₂WO₄ nano-composite was prepared through a sono-chemical route. Its physico-chemical properties were successfully characterized using XRD, BET, VSM, UV-vis-DRS, SEM, EDX, HR-TEM and PL techniques. The surface area of the Fe₃O₄-Ag₂WO₄ nano-composite was higher than those of pure Fe₃O₄ and Ag₂WO₄. The photocatalytic activity was tested for the degradation of a fast green (FG) dye under visible light irradiation. The Fe₃O₄-Ag₂WO₄ nano-composite showed good photocatalytic activity (81.11% of FG degradation within 120 min) when compared to Fe₃O₄, Ag₂WO₄, ZnO, and TiO₂ (P25). The improved photocatalytic activity of the nano-composite was ascribed to efficient electron-hole separation. Fe₃O₄-Ag₂WO₄ was found to be a durable and stable photocatalyst during recycling experiments. A plausible mechanism for the electron-hole separation process on the heterojunction was also proposed.