INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF APTES PRECURSORS ON THE FORMATION OF Fe3O4/ZnO NANOCOMPOSITES

Abstract

The paper presents the effect of 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) on the compositions and properties of multifunctional magnetic - semiconductor nanocomposites - Fe₃O₄/ZnO, which are synthesized by physical chemistry method. The results of X-ray diffraction, X-ray energy dispersive scattering indicate that the multifunctional nanocomposites contain the magnetic phase of Fe₃O₄ and the semiconductor phase of ZnO simultaneously. Meanwhile, the results of the vibrating sample magnetometer show that the Fe₃O₄/ZnO nanocomposites exhibit superparamagnetic properties with high saturation magnetization at room temperature (33.5 - 38.6 emu/g), which can be applied to quickly separate and attract pollutants, and reuse nanocomposites in the environmental treatment. The ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra of the nanocomposites are large extending from the near-ultraviolet to visible light. In particular, in the Fe₃O₄/ZnO3,5 nanocomposite has the absorption peak shifted to visible light, and the absorption spectrum spread in the range 340 - 410 nm, promising for applications in photocatalytic treatment under the impact of natural light.