Magnetic recyclable CoFe(2)O(4)@PPy prepared by in situ Fenton oxidization polymerization with advanced photo-Fenton performance

Here we present a magnetic recyclable photo-Fenton catalyst CoFe(2)O(4)@PPy with uniform morphology and excellent dispersibility prepared via simple in situ Fenton oxidization polymerization. The CoFe(2)O(4) core provides good magnetic recyclability for the catalysts as well as the ion source for catalyzed decomposition of H(2)O(2) in PPy coating. The optimal catalytic effect can be obtained by adjusting the ratio of CoFe(2)O(4) and PPy. Methylene blue, Methyl orange and Rhodamine B (RhB) employed as model pollutants certificated that the catalyst exhibits a wide range of photodegradability. The decoloration rates reach nearly 100% in the photodegradation of 10 mg L(−1) RhB after 2 h visible-light irradiation and only low toxicity small molecules are detected by LC-MS. Moreover, the catalytic activity remains after 5 cycles with decoloration rates up to 90%. The degradation measurement in the presence of scavengers of reactive species reveals that the positive holes (h(+)) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) are the main reactive oxygen species in the CoFe(2)O(4)@PPy system. The performance enhancement may be attributed to the combination of improved Fenton activity by coordinated Fe(2+) and PPy redox pairs and photo-catalytic activity by broaden adsorption and photo-generated charge separation.