STUDY ON SYNTHESIS OF NANO ZnFe2O4 BY SOL-GEL CITRATE METHOD APPLIED AS A CATALYST TO DECOMPOSE ORGANIC PIGMENTS UNDER SOLAR RA DIATION

Abstract

In this study, nano spinel ZnFe2O4 was synthesized by the sol-gel citrate method. The structural,
morphological, optical, and photocatalytic properties of ZnFe2O4 were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD)
analysis showed that the ZnFe2O4 powder was polycrystalline in nature. Scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) images confirmed that the synthesized particles were nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 25 to 30
nm. The band gap energy (Eg) of ZnFe2O4 was determined to be 1.93 eV at room temperature. ZnFe2O4
exhibited the ability to absorb visible light and functioned as an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation
of methylene blue. Moreover, the material demonstrated good reusability and could be easily recovered
using an external magnetic field.