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

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 (similar to 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. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The synthesis and characterization of cobalt-zinc ferrite, as well as its application in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, showed that the degradation efficiency increased with an increase in cobalt concentration.