Abstract
Fabrication of a Type-II heterojunction has been deliberated as a particular strategy to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of semiconductor photocatalysts to eliminate organic contaminants. The present study represents a unique recyclable Type-II-based ZnFe
2
O
4
@CuFe
2
O
4
@SiO
2
heterojunction synthesized via facile coprecipitation technique. The as-prepared samples were characterized via XRD, FTIR, SEM, XRD, TEM, UV–Vis DRS, VSM, XPS, and PL studies. The comparative photocatalytic performance of ZnFe
2
O
4
@CuFe
2
O
4
@SiO
2
heterojunction and pristine CuFe
2
O
4,
ZnFe
2
O
4
was examined for removal of Methylene Blue (MB) dye under visible light. The core–shell construction imparts reusability via magnetic retrieval, and SiO
2
acted as an effective host for the ZnFe
2
O
4
@CuFe
2
O
4
photocatalyst. The degradation efficacy of MB over ZnFe
2
O
4
@CuFe
2
O
4
@SiO
2
heterojunction reached 98.6% after 70 min under visible light radiation. Photocatalytic results also demonstrated that hybrid heterojunction owns about 9.3 times greater photocatalytic activity than bare CuFe
2
O
4
and 5.47 times higher than bare ZnFe
2
O
4
nanocomposite. The mechanism evaluation indicated that accelerated photocatalytic performance was allied with SiO
2
mediated hybrid, directing to a remarkable separation of electron–hole pairs and high redox proficiency in photocatalysis. Moreover, the ZnFe
2
O
4
@CuFe
2
O
4
@SiO
2
junction displayed broad pH compliance, exceptional magnetic recyclability, and good photo-stability. In conclusion, a probable degradation pathway of MB over ZnFe
2
O
4
@CuFe
2
O
4
@SiO
2
heterojunction was anticipated through regulated degradation intermediates. The present portrays a comprehension of the construction of favorable and novel ZnFe
2
O
4
@CuFe
2
O
4
@SiO
2
heterojunction for various environmental applications.