SYNTHESIS OF ZnFe2O4/ZnO/C COMPOSITE BASED ON ZIF-11 MATERIAL

Abstract

The ZnFe₂O₄/ZnO/C composites were synthesized via pyrolysis of ZIF-11 material modified with Fe³⁺ ions.
The effect of the Fe:Zn molar ratio on the phase composition of the composites was also investigated.
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy
(SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance
spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) were employed to characterize the structure and properties of the synthesized
materials. The results indicated that ZnFe₂O₄/ZnO/C composites were formed after calcination of the
modified material at 600 °C. As the Fe:Zn molar ratio increased, the ZnFe₂O₄ spinel phase became more
pronounced. The adsorption and photocatalytic properties of the synthesized ZnFe₂O₄/ZnO/C composites
were also evaluated. The experimental results showed that the composites exhibited significantly higher
methylene blue (MB) adsorption capacity than the original ZIF-11 material. The adsorption capacity
increased with the Fe:Zn molar ratio, reaching 11.72 mg/g, 15.27 mg/g, and 17.99 mg/g for Fe:Zn ratios of
2:8, 3:7, and 4:6, respectively. Furthermore, the ZnFe₂O₄/ZnO/C composites demonstrated photocatalytic
activity in the degradation of MB under visible light. A 10 mg/L MB solution was adsorbed and degraded by
45% after 120 minutes of illumination using a catalyst dose of 0.2 g/L