Regular Article

Zinc ferrite Zn_xFe_3–xO₄ nanocomposites as efficient photo catalysts: a study of synthesis, properties and catalytic activity

¹ Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
² Department of Physics, College of Education, University of Garmian, Kalar, KRG, Iraq

^* e-mail: salarkarim@garmian.edu.krd

Received: 1 June 2023
Received in final form: 28 July 2023
Accepted: 31 August 2023
Published online: 16 October 2023

Abstract

Zinc ferrite nanocomposites Zn_xFe_3−xO₄ (x = 0, 0.5, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, and 1) were successfully synthesized using the sol-gel co-precipitation technique. The physicochemical properties of the resulting nanocomposites were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement technique (GSASII), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, UV/vis spectroscopy, and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The predominant phase in all of the samples was found to be ZnFe₂O₄ spinel, with other phases such as Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ also present. The crystallite size ranged from 6.87 to 10.88 nm, and the resulting spinel phase powder had grain sizes between 100 and 220 nm. The lattice constants and coercivity of the samples increased with increasing Zn concentration, while saturation magnetization decreased. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites for the photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution was investigated, and the ZnFe₂O₄ nanocomposites showed the highest MB degradation rate and efficiency (94%) within 60 min of UV and visible light irradiation. These results demonstrate the potential of ZnFe₂O₄ nanocomposites synthesized via the sol-gel co-precipitation technique for photocatalytic applications.