# Chitin-Assisted Fabrication of an Fe3O4/BiOCl Composite for Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Ciprofloxacin

## TL;DR

A new Fe3O4/chitin/BiOCl composite was created to efficiently break down ciprofloxacin using visible light.

## Contribution

The use of chitin enhances porosity and photocatalytic performance of Fe3O4/BiOCl composites.

## Key findings

- The composite achieved 89.54% ciprofloxacin degradation under visible light.
- The rate constant was 5.1 times higher than pure BiOCl.
- The catalyst showed excellent magnetic recoverability and stability.

## Abstract

A novel recyclable composite, Fe3O4/chitin/BiOCl, was synthesized via a solvothermal approach using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), bismuth nitrate pentahydrate (Bi(NO3)3·5H2O), chitin, and Fe3O4 as precursors. The composite was systematically characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Characterization results indicated that the incorporation of chitin significantly improved the porosity and specific surface area of the catalyst. Furthermore, the synergistic effects between chitin and Fe3O4 effectively reduced the recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The photocatalytic activity of the composite was evaluated by degrading ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible-light irradiation. When the contents of Fe3O4 and chitin were 5% and 2% (by weight), respectively, the catalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance with a degradation rate of 89.54%, and the rate constant was 5.1 times higher than that of pure BiOCl. Additionally, the catalyst exhibited excellent magnetic recoverability and photocatalytic stability.