LAUSR

In this paper, we report excellent stability and enhanced photo-catalytic activity of graphite oxide (rGO)/Fe3O4 nanocomposites (NCs) for the decomposition of organic dyes compared with pure Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and bulk Fe3O4 particles. The rGO/Fe3O4-NCs were prepared by the ultrasonic method at low temperature. Fe3O4 nanoparticles (~10 nm) are well supported by rGO sheets as confirmed by electron microscopic studies. Powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies confirm the formation of rGO/Fe3O4-NCs. BET surface area of rGO/Fe3O4-NCs was found to be ~160 m2/g, which is approximately three times higher than that of pure Fe3O4-NPs. The rGO/Fe3O4-NCs as photo-catalysts show excellent performance in the degradation of organic dye (~94% in 80 min). This is also noteworthy that the rGO/Fe3O4-NCs show excellent stability and recyclable nature for further studies.