Magnetic separation of green synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles on photocatalytic activity of methyl orange dye removal

The most frequent method of removing malignant growth-causing tones from current effluents before releasing them into water sources such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater has become standard. Traditional waste-water treatment frameworks have trouble getting rid of these contaminants. This is a unique flavonoid that uses Fe₃O₄ nanorods as photocatalytic agents to corrupt material tone in the watery stage utilizing observable light enlightenment. Green technique was used to amalgamate [email protected]₃O₄ nanorod like gems. Disappearance of the bright (UV) maintenance top at 565 nm confirmed the elimination of Methyl orange tone. After 110 min, the sensational shading disposal of Fe₃O₄ nanorod was observed to be 100%. This is due to photochemical redox process and the use of Fe₃O₄ nanorods with a high energy gap of flavonoids. The findings show that Fe₃O₄ rod-like gems manufactured using green technology are extremely valuable in the photocatalytic annihilation of hazardous contaminants.     

Magnetite/carbon core-shell nanorods as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Carbon coated magnetite (Fe₃O₄) core-shell nanorods were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using Fe₂O₃ nanorods as the precursor. Transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) analysis indicated that a carbon layer was coated on the surfaces of the individual Fe₃O₄ nanorods. The electrochemical properties of Fe₃O₄/carbon nanorods as anodes in lithium-ion cells were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, ac impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge/discharge techniques. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄/C core-shell nanorods show an initial lithium storage capacity of 1120 mAh/g and a reversible capacity of 394 mAh/g after 100 cycles, demonstrating better performance than that of the commercial graphite anode material.     

Room Temperature Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Magnetically Recoverable Fe3O4/BiOCl Nanocomposite Photocatalysts

Magnetically recoverable Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposite photocatalysts were fabricated by a simple chemical coprecipitation method at room temperature. The amount of Fe₃O₄ incorporated into BiOCl was varied from 0 to 20 wt%. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The obtained results show that the as-synthesized samples mainly contain both crystalline phases (Fe₃O₄ and BiOCl) and are composed of flower-like nanostructures. Compared to UV light-responsive BiOCl, all the nanocomposite photocatalysts show a strong light absorbance in the range of 250–800 nm, demonstrating that the Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposites can respond to visible as well as UV light. Moreover, visible light absorbance was increased with the increase in the Fe₃O₄ amount in the composite. The photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite photocatalysts was evaluated by the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) over the samples under visible light irradiation. The 10 wt% Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposite photocatalyst shows the highest photocatalytic efficiency among the samples. The Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposite photocatalyst was stable under visible light irradiation to efficiently degrade RhB molecules after five cycles and could be easily recovered with a magnet after each cycle.     

Thermal oxide synthesis and characterization of Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanorods and Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanowires

Fe₃O₄ nanorods and Fe₂O₃ nanowires have been synthesized through a simple thermal oxide reaction of Fe with C₂H₂O₄ solution at 200–600°C for 1 h in the air. The morphology and structure of Fe₃O₄ nanorods and Fe₂O₃ nanowires were detected with powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of temperature on the morphology development was experimentally investigated. The results show that the polycrystals Fe₃O₄ nanorods with cubic structure and the average diameter of 0.5–0.8 μm grow after reaction at 200–500°C for 1 h in the air. When the temperature was 600°C, the samples completely became Fe₂O₃ nanowires with hexagonal structure. It was found that C₂H₂O₄ molecules had a significant effect on the formation of Fe₃O₄ nanorods. A possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the growth of these Fe₃O₄ nanorods. Supported by the Fund of Weinan Teacher’s University (Grant No. 08YKZ008), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20573072) and the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20060718010)     

Photocatalysis of cobalt zinc ferrite nanorods under solar light

Co_0.7Zn_0.3Fe₂O₄ nanorods were synthesized from hydrazine precursor by co-precipitation technique. Infrared and thermogravimetric–differential thermogravimetric curves of the precursor indicated the bridging bidentate nature of hydrazine and three-step thermal decomposition. The as-synthesized cobalt zinc ferrite nanorods were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry and UV–diffuse reflection spectroscopy which proposed the phase structure, morphology, magnetic and optical properties. Co_0.7Zn_0.3Fe₂O₄ nanorods showed a sensible photocatalytic activity on Congo red, Malachite green, Methylene blue, Methyl red, Rhodamine B and Rose bengal under solar light at different time intervals and were magnetically separated.     

Synergistic effect of Fe2O3/Ho2O3 Co-modified 2D-titanate heterojunctions on enhanced photocatalytic degradation

TiO₂-based nanosheets (TNSs) co-modified by Fe₂O₃ and Ho₂O₃ were synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal method using Fe(NO₃)₃ and Ho(NO₃)₃ as precursors compositing with TiO₂. The Fe₂O₃/Ho₂O₃-TNSs heterojunctions possessed a thickness of approximately 3–4 nm, large specific surface area of 210–310 cm²/g, with Fe₂O₃ and Ho₂O₃ nanoparticles highly dispersed over the surface of the nanosheets. The crystallization of the samples gradually increased with the amount of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, which was confirmed by the XRD, BET and Raman spectra, indicating that Ho₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ influenced the crystallinity and structure evolution of the TNSs, besides, led to an improved the visible-light absorption. Surface photocurrent and fluorescence spectral studies revealed that the photo-generated charge carrier separation efficiency could be efficiently improved by an appropriate amount of modification. The Fe₂O₃/Ho₂O₃-TNSs exhibited synergistic effect on photocatalytic degradation of RhB as well as MO under visible light. The highest efficiency was obtained by 0.05%-Fe₂O₃/Ho₂O₃-TNSs (Fe:Ho:Ti = 0.05:1:100), which was 8.86 and 6.72 times than that of individual 1.0%-Ho₂O₃-TNSs (Ho:Ti = 1:100) and 0.05%-Fe₂O₃-TNSs (Fe:Ti = 0.05:100), respectively. The possible mechanism for enhanced visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity was proposed. Ho₂O₃ introduced in the photocatalysts may act as the hole capture while Fe₂O₃ may share the same Fermi levels with TNSs and serve as the electron capture center in the n-n-p system, which reduced the recombination rate of photo-induced electron-hole pairs.     

Novel Bi2WO6‐coupled Fe3O4 Magnetic Photocatalysts: Preparation,Characterization and Photodegradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride

Novel Bi₂WO₆‐coupled Fe₃O₄ magnetic photocatalysts with excellent and stable photocatalytic activity for degrading tetracycline hydrochloride and RhB were successfully synthesized via a facile solvothermal route. Through the characterization of the as‐prepared magnetic photocatalysts by X‐ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, it was found that the as‐prepared magnetic photocatalysts were synthesized by the coupling of Bi₂WO₆ and Fe₃O₄, and introduction of appropriated Fe₃O₄ can improve nanospheres morphology and visible‐light response. Among them, BFe2 (0.16% Fe₃O₄) exhibited the best photocatalytic activity for degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), reaching 81.53% after 90 min. Meanwhile, the as‐prepared magnetic photocatalysts showed great separation and recycle property. Moreover, the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy demonstrated that the well conductivity of Fe₃O₄ can promote photogenerated charge carriers transfer and inhibit recombination of electron–hole pairs, so that Bi₂WO₆/Fe₃O₄ exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity on degradation of TCH and RhB. Hence, this work provides a principle method to synthesize Bi₂WO₆/Fe₃O₄ with excellent photocatalytic performance for actual application, in addition, it showed that introduction of Fe₃O₄ not only can provide magnetism, but also can enhance photocatalytic activity of Bi₂WO₆/Fe₃O₄ magnetic photocatalysts.     

Synthesis of Co2+-doped Fe2O3 photocatalyst for degradation of pararosaniline dye

In this paper, x (=2, 5, 7 and 10mol%) Co²⁺-doped Fe₂O₃ (xCo:Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activity have been reported. xCo:Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were successfully prepared by co-precipitation followed thermal decomposition method. The structural, optical and morphological properties of the prepared samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse reflectance (DR) UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained results revealed that Co²⁺ ions were well doped within the lattices of Fe₂O₃. Also, Co²⁺ ions suppress the formation of the most stable α- Fe₂O₃ and stabilize less stable γ-Fe₂O₃ at 450 °C. The photocatalytic activity of xCo:Fe₂O₃ was examined by using pararosaniline (PR) dye. It was found that photocatalytic degradation of PR depends on dopant concentration (Co²⁺ ions). Relatively, the highest photocatalytic activity was observed for 5%Co:Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. The plausible photocatalytic degradation pathway of PR at xCo:Fe₂O₃ surface has also been proposed.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of reduced graphene sheets/Fe2O3 nanorods composites and their enhanced electrochemical performance for supercapacitors

Reduced graphene nanosheets/Fe₂O₃ nanorods (GNS/Fe₂O₃) composite has been fabricated by a hydrothermal route for supercapacitor electrode materials. The obtained GNS/Fe₂O₃ composite formed a uniform structure with the Fe₂O₃ nanorods grew on the graphene surface and/or filled between the graphene sheets. The electrochemical performances of the GNS/Fe₂O₃ hybrid supercapacitor were tested by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests in 6 M KOH electrolyte. Comparing with the pure Fe₂O₃ electrode, GNS/Fe₂O₃ composite electrode exhibits an enhanced specific capacitance of 320 F g⁻¹ at 10 mA cm⁻² and an excellent cycle-ability with capacity retention of about 97% after 500 cycles. The simple and cost-effective preparation technique of this composite with good capacitive behavior encourages its potential commercial application.     

Preparation of nanocrystalline Fe-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> powders as a visible-light-responsive photocatalyst

Nanocrystalline Fe-doped TiO₂ powders were prepared using TiOSO₄, urea, and Fe(NO₃)₃ · 9H₂O as precursors through a hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized yellowish-colored powders are composed of anatase TiO₂, identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The grain size ranged from 9.7 to 12.1 nm, calculated by Scherrer’s method. The specific surface area ranged from 141 to 170 m²/g, obtained by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrograph of the sample shows that the diameter of the grains is uniformly distributed at about 10 nm, which is consistent with that calculated by Scherrer’s method. Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ have been detected on the surface of TiO₂ powders by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The UV–Vis diffuse reflection spectra indicate that the light absorption thresholds of the Fe-doped TiO₂ powders have been red-shifted into the visible light region. The photocatalytic activity of the Fe-doped TiO₂ was evaluated through the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The Fe-doped TiO₂ powders have shown good visible-light photocatalytic activities and the maximum degradation ratio is achieved within 4.5 h.     

Preparation of novel hybrid nanomaterials based on LaFeO3 and phosphotungstic acid as a highly efficient magnetic photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue dye solution

Novel magnetic hybrid nanomaterials 1 (LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-NH₂/PW₁₂) were synthesized by supporting phosphotungstic acid (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀; PW₁₂) on LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ nanomaterials through sono-assisted method. The synthesized nanomaterials were fully characterized by using FT-IR, XRD, UV–vis, BET-BJH, VSM, SEM, and TEM analyses. FT-IR, XRD, and UV–vis confirmed successful synthesis of nanomaterials. The SEM and TEM images revealed spherical morphology with core-shell structure for hybrid nanomaterials 1 . VSM results confirmed the magnetic property of hybrid nanomaterials 1 and suggested it as easily recyclable photocatalyst for removal of organic dyes from aqueous solution. The photocatalytic activity of hybrid nanomaterials 1 has been studied over the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) solution under UV–vis light irradiation. Importantly the hybrid nanomaterials 1 showed outstanding degradation efficiency for MB solution in comparison with bare LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ and PW₁₂. The photocatalytic activity was enhanced mainly due to the high efficiency in separation of electron–hole pairs induced by the remarkable synergistic effects of LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ and PW₁₂ semiconductors. After the photocatalytic reaction, the nanocomposite can be easily separated from the reaction solution and reused several times without loss of its photocatalytic activity. Trapping experiments indicated that hole (h_VB⁺) and ^•OH radicals were the main reactive species for dye degradation in the present photocatalytic system. On the basis of the experimental results and estimated band gaps, the mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed.     

Nanorods of transition metal oxalates: A versatile route to the oxide nanoparticles

A versatile route has been explored for the synthesis of nanorods of transition metal (Cu, Ni, Mn, Zn, Co and Fe) oxalates using reverse micelles. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the as-prepared nanorods of nickel and copper oxalates have diameter of 250 nm and 130 nm while the length is of the order of 2.5 μm and 480 nm, respectively. The aspect ratio of the nanorods of copper oxalate could be modified by changing the solvent. The average dimensions of manganese, zinc and cobalt oxalate nanorods were 100 μm, 120 μm and 300 nm, respectively, in diameter and 2.5 μm, 600 nm and 6.5 μm, respectively, in length. The aspect ratio of the cobalt oxalate nanorods could be modified by controlling the temperature.The nanorods of metal (Cu, Ni, Mn, Zn, Co and Fe) oxalates were found to be suitable precursors to obtain a variety of transition metal oxide nanoparticles. Our studies show that the grain size of CuO nanoparticles is highly dependent on the nature of non-polar solvent used to initially synthesize the oxalate rods. All the commonly known manganese oxides could be obtained as pure phases from the single manganese oxalate precursor by decomposing in different atmospheres (air, vacuum or nitrogen). The ZnO nanoparticles obtained from zinc oxalate rods are ～55 nm in diameter. Oxides with different morphology, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles faceted (cuboidal) and Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (spherical) could be obtained.     

Thermal behavior of Ni,Co and Fe succinates embedded in silica matrix

This paper presents the thermal behavior of Co, Ni and Fe succinates obtained by sol-gel synthesis using Co(II), Ni(II) and Fe(III) nitrates, 1,4-butanediol and tetraethyl orthosilicate as reactants. The thermal analysis revealed the formation of succinates at 413–453 K and their decomposition to ferrites at 503–623 K. The rate constants for the decomposition of succinates to ferrites, calculated using the isotherms at 473, 523, 573 and 623 K, were used to determine the activation energy of each ferrite (NiFe₂O₄, Ni_0.3Co_0.7Fe₂O₄, Ni_0.7Co_0.3Fe₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄) embedded in the silica matrix. By increasing the Ni content in the mixed Ni–Co ferrites, the activation energy decreases from 13.530 to 1.944 kJ mol^?1. The formation and decomposition of succinate precursors and the formation of silica matrix were confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy, while the formation of CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄ single-phases embedded in the silica matrix was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The nanocrystallites size decreases from 31.7 (CoFe₂O₄) to 18.5 nm (NiFe₂O₄). The optical band gap of mixed Co–Ni ferrites was significantly higher than that corresponding to CoFe₂O₄. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated against Rhodamine B under visible light. All the samples have photocatalytic activities, the best performance being obtained in the case of Ni_0.7Co_0.3Fe₂O₄.

     

Synthesis of magnetic nickel spinel ferrite nanospheres by a reverse emulsion-assisted hydrothermal process

Nickel ferrite nanospheres were successfully synthesized by a reverse emulsion-assisted hydrothermal method. The reverse emulsion was composed of water, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, polyoxyethylene(10)nonyl phenyl ether, iso-amyl alcohol and hexane. During the hydrothermal process, β-FeO(OH) and Ni_0.75Fe_0.25(CO₃)_0.125(OH)₂·0.38H₂O (INCHH) nanorods formed first and then transformed into nickel spinel ferrite nanospheres. The phase transformation mechanism is proposed based on the results of X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, etc. Nickel ferrite may form at the end of the INCHH nanorods or from the solution accompanied by the dissolution of β-FeO(OH) and INCHH nanorods. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows that a few Fe³⁺ ions have been reduced to Fe²⁺ ions during the formation of nickel ferrite. The maximum magnetization of the nickel ferrite nanospheres obtained after hydrothermal reaction for 30 h is 55.01 emu/g, which is close to that of bulk NiFe₂O₄.     

Photocatalytic activity of TiO2-MO x composites in the reaction of hydrogen generation from aqueous isopropanol solution

The photocatalytic activity of the composites TiO₂-MO _x (M = Ni, Cu, Zn, Fe, Cr) was studied in the reaction of hydrogen generation from aqueous alcoholic suspensions under UV light. The samples modified by the oxides of the metals capable of being reduced from oxides under photocatalytic conditions showed a high catalytic activity. The studied modifiers were divided in three groups in terms of their effect of the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂: activating (NiO, CuO), inhibiting (Fe₂O₃), and indifferent (ZnO, Cr₂O₃).     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of the Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue

The preparation and photocatalytic performance of the Fe₂O₃/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites with different weight percentage of iron was investigated in this study. Samples were successfully synthesized using melamine and ferric nitrate as the precursors via the green and facile microwave-assisted method. The physicochemical and structural properties of the Fe₂O₃-doped g-C₃N₄ were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis). The photocatalytic activity of the Fe₂O₃/g-C₃N₄ catalysts was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) at room temperature under visible light irradiation. As expected, the as-synthesized samples exhibited considerable improvement in the photodegradation of MB. The Fe₂O₃/g-C₃N₄ (1.0 wt%) nanocomposite had superior photocatalytic activity, with almost 70% degradation efficiency within 90 min of irradiation. The enhanced performance was ascribed to the separation and migration of the photoinduced electron–hole pairs and taking part of the charge carriers in the chemical redox reactions at the surface of the photocatalyst. In this work, the effect of Fe weight percentage on the degradation potential was also studied, and the photocatalytic mechanism was proposed with the main reactive species •OH.     

Synthesis and characterization of magnetite nanoparticles for photocatalysis of nitrobenzene

The present work shows the photocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzene (NB) using Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) as a photocatalyst in the presence of UV light. The MNP were synthesized by an ultrasonic-assisted reverse co-precipitation (US-RP) method using FeSO₄, FeCl₃ and NH₄OH as precursors. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta potential, Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and Magnetic thermogravimetric analysis (MTGA). The successive decrement in the absorbance at 265 nm shows the effective decrease in NB concentration measured by UV–vis spectroscopy. The reaction intermediates detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrum (GC/MS) were 2-nitrophenol (2-NPh), 3-nitrophenol (3-NPh) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NPh). The prepared MNP showed an optimal NB degradation at an initial pH of 2 and 100 ppm of the photocatalyst.     

Optical and magnetic properties of small-size core–shell Fe3O4@C nanoparticles

Core–shell Fe₃O₄@C magnetic nanoparticles which are of great interest for research have a widely applied prospect. However, people know little about the optical and magnetic properties of the small-size Fe₃O₄@C nanoparticles due to the difficulty of uniformly coating small size Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. In this paper, the influence of carbon shell coating on the optical and magnetic properties of small size Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles was presented. Carbon coating can strengthen the absorption intensity in the UV–visible light region through the introduction of oxygen defects on the surface of the nanoparticles by nitric acid treatment. Fe₃O₄ and Fe₃O₄@C nanoparticles both display typical superparamagnetic behavior in the high-temperature regime and a blocked state at low temperature from hysteresis loop, zero-field cooled and field cooled curves. Carbon coating reduce the surface uniaxial anisotropy, thus the average blocking temperature <T_B> decreases from 59 K of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles to 50 K of Fe₃O₄@C nanoparticles.     

Photocatalytic degradation of Sudan red (IV) by Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Fe₃O₄, Fe₃O₄-phenol formaldehyde resin (PFR), are synthesized via a facile solvothermal method. The typical samples are characterized by a X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It is firstly demonstrated that Fe₃O₄ nanomaterials show excellent photocatalytic activities to discolor Sudan red (IV) dye. In ultraviolet light area, the dye is degraded 97.7% in 180 min through Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle system. Compared to titania nanoparticles, Fe₃O₄ and Fe₃O₄-PFR nanomaterials exhibit many advantage on lower cost, facile separation and regeneration, good photocatalytic activities in ultraviolet and visible light area.     

Combination of CoWO4 and Ag3VO4 with Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposites: Magnetic photocatalysts with enhanced activity through p-n-n heterojunctions under visible light

As novel visible-light-induced photocatalysts, a series of magnetically recyclable Fe₃O₄/ZnO/CoWO₄/Ag₃VO₄ nanocomposites were fabricated through successive combination of Fe₃O₄/ZnO with CoWO₄ and Ag₃VO₄. A facile refluxing-calcination procedure was employed to prepare these nanocomposites and they were characterized by various sophisticated instruments including XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, UV–vis DRS, FT-IR, PL, as well as VSM and subsequently tested for photocatalytic degradations of three dyes and one colorless pollutants. The Fe₃O₄/ZnO/CoWO₄/Ag₃VO₄ (20%) nanocomposite indicated excellent photodegradation for RhB under visible light, which is 78.4, 4.44, and 3.19 times superior to the Fe₃O₄/ZnO, Fe₃O₄/ZnO/Ag₃VO₄, and Fe₃O₄/ZnO/CoWO₄ samples, respectively. Production of more electron-hole pairs due to presence of two small band gap semiconductors and retardation of the charge carriers from recombination due to formation of p-n-n heterojunctions are the main factors enhancing the photocatalytic performance. Additionally, the nanocomposite was readily recovered from the reaction solution using a magnet and its photocatalytic activity remained reasonable after some repetitive cycles.