Synthesis of ZnO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites in organic-free media and their photocatalytic activity under natural sunlight

Rahmayeni Rahmayeni; Zulhadjri Zulhadjri; Yeni Stiadi; Agusnar Harry; Syukri Arief

doi:10.15282/jmes.14.2.2020.20.0532

Authors

Rahmayeni Rahmayeni Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Sciences, Andalas University, 25163, Padang, Indonesia Phone:+6281363100506
Zulhadjri Zulhadjri Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Sciences, Andalas University, 25163, Padang, Indonesia Phone:+6281363100506
Yeni Stiadi Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Sciences, Andalas University, 25163, Padang, Indonesia Phone:+6281363100506
Agusnar Harry Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, 20155, Medan, Indonesia
Syukri Arief Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Sciences, Andalas University, 25163, Padang, Indonesia Phone:+6281363100506

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15282/jmes.14.2.2020.20.0532

Keywords:

ZnO/ZnFe2O4, photocatalyst, organic-free media, natural sunlight, paramagnetic

Abstract

Nanocomposite ZnO/ZnFe₂O₄ photocatalysts with different proportions of ZnFe₂O₄ were synthesized in organic-free media using metal nitric as precursors. The ZnO phase with hexagonal wurtzite structure and low crystallinity of ZnFe₂O₄was confirmed using XRD (X-Ray diffraction). Different morphologies of the nanocomposites were obtained ranging from rice grain-like with a porous surface to homogeneous sphere-like nanoparticles as shown in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and TEM Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) studies. Magnetic properties measured by Visible Sampler Magnetometer (VSM) showed diamagnetic and paramagnetic behavior for the nanocomposites. Analysis with Diffuse Reflectance Spectrophotometer (DRS) UV-vis showed an increase the composition of ferrite in composites increasing its ability to absorb visible light. Photocatalytic activities of ZnO/ZnFe₂O₄ nanocomposites on the degradation of Rhodamine B dye reached 95.6% after 3 h under natural sunlight suggesting their suitability for sunlight driven photocatalytic applications.

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