Three-Dimensional gelatinous Network-Tailored magnetic Fe3O4@Ag6Si2O7 heterostructures for efficient Visible-Light-Driven water remediation

Abstract

Severe agglomeration of spherical magnetic photocatalysts can restrict accessible surface area and catalyst recovery. Here, a tailored sol–gel protocol followed by interfacial thiolation was used to construct a three-dimensional gelatinous Fe 3 O 4 @Ag 6 Si 2 O 7 heterostructure (3D-Gel-Fe 3 O 4 @Ag 6 Si 2 O 7 ). The network exhibited a BET surface area of 40.69 m 2 g –1 and an average pore diameter of 22.6 nm, both higher than those of the spherical controls. Optical, photoluminescence, and photocurrent measurements were consistent with altered interfacial charge-transfer behavior, although they did not uniquely establish a specific carrier-transfer pathway. Under the tested visible-light conditions, the 3D-Gel catalyst achieved 96.4% total RhB decolorization after 180 min, including the contribution from dark adsorption, with an apparent pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.0144 min –1 . This rate constant was 1.47 and 1.11 times those of the Pre-Sph and Post-Sph controls, respectively. After five cycles, the final decolorization efficiency was 90.1%, and the saturation magnetization was 53.13 emu g –1 . These results associate the network morphology with increased accessible surface area, RhB removal, and magnetic recoverability under the tested conditions.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Advanced Powder Technology, 2026 · DOI ↗