Enhanced photocatalytic activity of environment-friendly C/ZnFe 2 O nanocomposites: Application in dye removal

Abstract

A scheme toward enhancing the photocatalytic activity of ZnFe 2 O 4 was achieved by shell coating of graphitic-mimic carbon stratum using solution combustion method. In the present study, the solution combustion method was used to synthesize carbon-doped zinc ferrite (C/ZnFe 2 O 4 ) nanocomposite. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV-vis-DRS), and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) surface analyses were utilized to pinpoint the structure and morphological evolutions. The 2θ XRD spectra suggested that the nanocomposite consists of zinc oxide nanoparticles with zincite formation, and the mean crystallite dimension was established to be 6.49 nm. EDAX analysis confirmed the existence of elements like Fe, Zn, and O. UV-vis-DRS studies have shown bandgap of 3.14 eV. The surface area of the porous C/ZnFe 2 O 4 was calculated to be 65 m 2 g −1 using BET experiment. The photocatalytic activities of C/ZnFe 2 O 4 were investigated by the degradation of acid blue 113 (AB 113) under UV light irradiation. From the degradation studies, it was observed that C/ZnFe 2 O 4 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity. The small size, high surface area, and synergistic effect in the C/ZnFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite are responsible for high photocatalytic activity. The influence of various parameters such as the initial dye concentration, pH, and catalyst weight on the photocatalytic degradation of the dye was also investigated. The C/ZnFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite is stable, easily separable, and reusable photocatalyst. Further, the possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism of AB 113 over C/ZnFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite has been proposed.