Cobalt ferrite–polyaniline heteroarchitecture: a magnetically recyclable photocatalyst with highly enhanced performances

Abstract

A cobalt ferrite–polyaniline photocatalyst is successfully prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization. The excellent magnetic properties of CoFe₂O₄ are maintained in the composite to some extent, and therefore the photocatalyst can be separated easily by an external magnetic field. A significant adsorption can be observed in the case of the anionic dyes and neutral dyes because the negatively charged groups or the electron-rich groups of these dyes undergo chemical interactions with the positively charged backbone of polyaniline (PANI). Such an adsorption helps in promoting the photodegradation of the dyes. It is interesting that although CoFe₂O₄ alone is an inactive visible-light-driven photocatalyst, the combination of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with PANI leads to high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of the dyes under visible light irradiation. The dramatic enhancement in photoactivity can be attributed to the excited state electrons in PANI which can migrate to the conduction band (CB) of CoFe₂O₄, and the photogenerated holes in the valence band (VB) of CoFe₂O₄ which can directly transfer to the HOMO of PANI, effectively preventing a direct recombination of electrons and holes. Due to electrostatic repulsion, the cationic dyes containing positively charged groups cannot easily gain access to the positively charged backbone of PANI, giving very low photodegradation rates.