Photocatalytic activity of cobalt substituted zinc ferrite for the degradation of methylene blue dye under visible light irradiation

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2021-01, Vol.851, p.156878, Article 156878
• Main Authors: Chahar, Deepika, Taneja, Shilpa, Bisht, Shalini, Kesarwani, Shubhi, Thakur, Preeti, Thakur, Atul, Sharma, P.B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalytic activity; Cobalt; Crystallites; Dyes; Fourier transforms; Infrared spectroscopy; Light irradiation; Methylene blue; Nanoferrites; Photocatalysis; Photocatalytic degradation; Photodegradation; Scanning electron microscopy; Spinel phase; Transmission electron microscopy; Water purification; X-ray diffraction; XRD; Zinc ferrites
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.156878

Cobalt-zinc ferrite with composition CoxZn1-xFe2O4 (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) was synthesized using citrate precursor method and the prepared samples were characterized by using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. Single phase spinel structure was confirmed by the XRD patterns having (311) characteristic peak. SEM images showed the agglomeration of the powdered samples of cobalt-zinc ferrite. TEM images record an average crystallite size of 52 nm. Visible range light was used for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by creating a Fenton-type system. It was observed that the degradation of methylene blue was enhanced with an increase in cobalt concentration. The degradation efficiency reached a maximum (77%) for x = 0.5 while it was the smallest (∼65%) for x = 0.0 in 1 h under visible light irradiation. Hence, we conclude that cobalt-zinc ferrite can be used as a potential material for purification of water and its degradation efficiency increased with an increase in cobalt concentration. •Cobalt zinc ferrite catalyzes the removal of methylene blue dye from the water.•Degradation efficiency get enhanced with an increase in the cobalt ion concentration.•77% of the methylene blue was removed by using cobalt zinc ferrite under visible light.•FT-IR patterns showed metal stretching vibrations at tetrahedral and octahedral sites.