Enhanced photocatalytic activity of environment-friendly C/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites: application in dye removal

A scheme toward enhancing the photocatalytic activity of ZnFe2O4 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/ZnFe204) nano composite. 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 20 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 0. UV-vis-DRS studies have shown bandgap of 3.14 eV. The surface area of the porous C/ZnFe2O4 was calculated to be 65 m2 g-1 using BET experiment. The photocatalytic activities of C/ZnFe2O4 were investigated by the degradation of acid blue 113 (AB 113) under UV light irradiation. From the degradation studies, it was observed that C/ZnFe2O4 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity. The small size, high surface area, and synergistic effect in the C/ZnFe2O4 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/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite is stable, easily separable, and reusable photocatalyst. Further, the possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism of AB 113 over C/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite has been proposed.