One-pot solvothermal synthesis of magnetic SnFe2O4 nanoparticles and their performance in the photocatalytic degradation of chlortetracycline with visible light radiation

Abstract

Highly crystalline SnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with high saturation magnetization and superior chlortetracycline (CTC) degradation efficiency was developed using a one-pot solvothermal method. The SnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles about 50 nm were prepared with a simple and cost-effective process performed at 200 °C. Superparamagnetism was observed from the SnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with a high saturation magnetization of 74.3 emu g⁻¹. The excellent photocatalytic activity of the SnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was demonstrated through the high degradation efficiency of CTC under a visible light/SnFe₂O₄/9 mM H₂O₂ process. The effective degradation of CTC with the SnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was attributed to the effective absorption of the visible light and the good separation ability of the electron–hole pairs. The synergy effect between SnFe₂O₄ and H₂O₂ was analysed, and the optimum initial concentration of H₂O₂ was determined to be 9 mM to achieve the best photocatalytic result on CTC. The SnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles also exhibited a fast and easy magnetic retrieval and a stable performance with continuous recycled usage.