Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Magnetic Opal/Fe3O4 Colloidal Crystals under Visible Light Irradiation

Abstract

In this study, opal–magnetite photocatalysts based on SiO2 artificial opal crystals infiltrated with different concentrations of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using a combination of lateral infiltration and co-assembly methods. By adjusting the concentration of Fe3O4 NPs in the SiO2 opal crystal, the energy band gap (Eg) was tuned to enable efficient degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light (410 nm and 575 nm). The photocatalytic process involved two stages: MB adsorption on the surface due to charge differences in the composite film and subsequent degradation through oxidative radicals on the catalyst’s surface. The developed material exhibited potential for applications in water remediation.