A nanocomposite photocatalyst composed of AlFeO3 and TiO2 is prepared, and charac-terized through X-ray diffraction. Application of the nanocomposite for the photodegradations of eosin dye and methyl orange gives an improved photoactivity compared with TiO2-only nanomaterials. The optimal concentration of AlFeO3 in the composite is about 1.0 wt% under UV excitation, and 9.0 wt% under sunlight excitation for the improved photoactivity. Furthermore, this nanocomposite is more active for eosin photodegradation if natural sunlight rather than UV is used. This may be due to the reason that adding AlFeO3 nanoparticles into TiO2 matrix can promote the separation of photogener-ated charge carriers, and extend the photoresponse of TiO2 toward visible region, which results in an increase in the solar energy utilization efficiency.
YUAN Zhihao WANG Yuhong SUN Yongchang WANG Jing BIE Lijian DUAN Yueqing
