Improved Photocatalytic Performance of Fe 3 O 4 /TiO 2 Thin Film in the Degradation of MB Dye Under Sunlight Radiation

In the present work, we have prepared Fe 3 O 4 /TiO 2 thin film on the FTO plate by the hydrothermal method in a two-step process, primarily coated TiO 2 and followed Fe 3 O 4 on TiO 2 . The prepared thin film was characterized for structural, functional, optical, and morphological properties employing powder-XRD, FT-IR, UV–Visible, and FE-SEM respectively. XRD and FE-SEM analysis confirmed the distribution of Fe 3 O 4 on TiO 2 . FTIR affirmed the firm interfacial contact of Fe 3 O 4 on TiO 2 resulting optical band gap to be 2.2 eV. MB dye degradation studies under direct sunlight radiation showed 78% and 84% in 4 h for TiO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 /TiO 2 respectively. The reusability of the catalyst showed 82% after three cycles of studies, which affirms the stability of the thin film. Hence, Fe 3 O 4 /TiO 2 thin film coated on the FTO plate could be a promising catalyst for the degradation of MB dye in real time application.