Tuning the Magnetic and Catalytic Properties of Manganese Ferrite through Zn[sup.2+] Doping: Gas Phase Oxidation of Octanol

• Published in: Catalysts 2023-11, Vol.13 (12)
• Main Authors: Bibi, Mehnaz, Sadiq, Muhammad, Rizk, Moustafa A, Alsaiari, Raiedhah A, Iqbal, Zaffar, Ali, Zahid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Iron compounds; Magnetic properties; Methylene blue; Oxidation-reduction reaction; Oxides; Zinc; Zinc compounds
• ISSN: 2073-4344; 2073-4344
• DOI: 10.3390/catal13121473

Spinel ferrites, ZnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4], MnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4], and ZnMnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4], were synthesized using the sol–gel method and thoroughly investigated for their potential as catalytic and magnetic materials. Experiments unveiled that ZnMnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4] exhibited excellent catalytic and magnetic properties, whereas the Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations provided insight into the excellent performance of ZnMnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4] compared with ZnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4] and MnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4]. The catalytic efficiencies of the synthesized spinel ferrites were evaluated against a model reaction, i.e., the gas-phase oxidation of octanol to a corresponding aldehyde, utilizing molecular oxygen as an oxidant. The results indicated that the order of catalytic activity was ZnMnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4] > MnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4] > ZnFe[sub.2]O[sub.4]. The reaction was found to follow Langmuir Hinshelwood’s mechanism for dissociative adsorption of molecular oxygen. Owing to their superb catalytic and magnetic properties, mixed ferrites can be extended to a variety of organic transformation reactions.