Structural, magnetic, and photocatalytic characterization of zinc-dopedcobalt ferrite nanoparticles

Spinel oxides (AB۲O۴) have garnered a long-standing reputation due to their intriguingelectronic and magnetic properties, making them highly suitable for a wide range of industrialapplications. These applications span from magnetic cores and high-frequency devices to medicaldiagnostics and environmental monitoring [۱]. Cobalt ferrite and zinc ferrite, two specific ferritespinels belonging to the AFe۲O۴ family, have emerged as subjects of significant interest in thescientific community. These materials exhibit exceptional properties and find numerousapplications in fields such as photocatalysis, information storage, electronic devices, magneticmaterials, and gas sensing. The remarkable potential and versatility of cobalt ferrite and zinc ferritecontribute to their widespread popularity and ongoing exploration in different industrial sectors[۲,۳]. In this study, we focus on the synthesis of zinc-cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles using asol-gel technique with natural gel as the precursor. The synthesized nanoparticles were thoroughlycharacterized using various analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infraredspectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD),field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM),and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Furthermore, we evaluated the photocatalytic activityof the nanoparticles for the degradation of congo red dye under visible light irradiation. Theefficiency of the photocatalytic process was investigated by varying the initial dye concentration,photocatalyst dosage, and irradiation time. The results demonstrated the remarkable ability of zinccobaltferrite magnetic nanoparticles to effectively degrade congo red dye. This method offersvarious advantages, including cost-effectiveness, simplicity, shorter processing time,environmental friendliness, and the potential for scalable production

کلیدواژه ها:

Dye degradation ، Green synthesis ، Magnetic nanopaticles.