Structural, magnetic, and photocatalytic properties of core–shell reversal nanocomposites of titanium-doped strontium ferrite and silica

This paper presents the effect of core–shell reversal on the photocatalytic potential of titanium-doped strontium ferrite (Sr 0.4 Ti 0.6 Fe 2 O 4.6 ) and silica (SiO 2 ) nanocomposites. The construction of core–shell-structured Z-scheme systems is a valid strategy to effectively enhance photocatalytic activity. Mӧssbauer spectroscopy studies demonstrated the more lowering of hyperfine field values for SiO 2 @Sr 0.4 Ti 0.6 Fe 2 O 4.6 compared to Sr 0.4 Ti 0.6 Fe 2 O 4.6 @SiO 2 core–shell nanocomposite. The Sr 0.4 Ti 0.6 Fe 2 O 4.6 @SiO 2 nanocomposite had higher BET-specific surface area of 117.3 m 2 /g than that of SiO 2 @Sr 0.4 Ti 0.6 Fe 2 O 4.6 (106.9 m 2 /g). The Sr 0.4 Ti 0.6 Fe 2 O 4.6 @SiO 2 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than SiO 2 @Sr 0.4 Ti 0.6 Fe 2 O 4.6 for the degradation of model pesticide, pendimethalin ( ∼ 96