Visible light-induced photocatalytic performance of green MnFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Chemistry, Miyaneh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Miyaneh, Iran

2 Department of Chemistry, Marand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marand, Iran

3 Department of Chemistry, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

10.22124/cjes.2023.7173

Abstract

Water photocatalytic treatment has found more attention in recent years. Photocatalytic process can degrade various organic pollutants in water using free solar energy. In this study, manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4) and cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) as magnetic photocatalysts were prepared through novel, green and simple co-precipitation route. So, marshmallow extract was applied as green capping agent for morphological engineering of products. The crystalline structure, shape, and particle size of prepared products were characterized via X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The cubic phase of the products with sphere-like morphology were formed. The BET analysis revealed that the prepared MnFe2O4 (72.30 m2 g-1) and CoFe2O4 (65.85 m2 g-1) have sufficient surface area for photocatalytic application. The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) analysis was applied for assessment of the optical properties of these products. The optical band gap of as-obtained MnFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 were 2.42 and 2.71 eV, respectively.  Finally, the results indicated that the MnFe2O4 can removed 78, 84, and 92% of methyl orange, methylene blue, and acid violet 7 from water, after 80 min UV irradiation respectively. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of CoFe2O4 is lower than MnFe2O4. Also, the further examination revealed that the photocatalytic efficiency has decreased under visible light irradiation. This study introduces MnFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 as excellent photocatalysts for degradation of organic pollutants.

Keywords

References

Al-Zaidi, WJR, Ali, AM & Muhsen, TAA 2023. Efficacy of nanoparticle zinc oxide in the resistance of fungus Rhizoctonia solani causing black scurf disease in local potatoes. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 21: 95-103.
Bahadoran, A, De Lile, JR, Masudy-Panah, S, Sadeghi, B, Li, J, Sabzalian, MH, Ramakrishna, S, Liu, Q, Cavaliere, P & Gopinathan, A 2022, Photocatalytic materials obtained from e-waste recycling: Review, techniques, critique, and update. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, 6: 69. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp6040069.        
Bodaghi, Z, Pakpour, F & Ghanbari, D 2020, Carbon@CoFe2O4@Ag and hollow CoFe2O4@Ag nanocomposite: green synthesis of a photocatalyst and magnetic adsorbent for antibiotic removal from aqueous solutions. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, 31: 19025-19035.   
Chaudhari, A, Kaida, T, Desai, HB, Ghosh, S, Bhatt, RP, & Tanna, AR 2022, Dye degradation and antimicrobial applications of manganese ferrite nanoparticles synthesized by plant extracts. Chemical Physics Impact, 5, 100098. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chphi.2022.100098.    
Chinnathambi, A, Nasif, O, Alharbi, S A, & Khan, S S 2021, Enhanced optoelectronic properties of multifunctional MnFe2O4 nanorods decorated Co3O4 nanoheterostructure: Photocatalytic activity and antibacterial behavior. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 134, 105992. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2021.105992.           
Dutta, V, Sharma, S, Raizada, P, Hosseini-Bandegharaei, A, Gupta, VK, & Singh, P 2019, Review on augmentation in photocatalytic activity of CoFe2O4 via heterojunction formation for photocatalysis of organic pollutants in water. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 23: 1119-1136. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscs.2019.07.003.             
Dutta, V, Sharma, S, Raizada, P, Thakur, VK, Khan, AAP, Saini, V, Asiri, AM & Singh, P 2021, An overview on WO3 based photocatalyst for environmental remediation. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9: 105018. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.105018.       
Elkholy, A E, El-Taib Heakal, F, & Allam, N K 2017, Nanostructured spinel manganese cobalt ferrite for high-performance supercapacitors [10.1039/C7RA11020K]. RSC Advances, 7(82): 51888-51895. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1039/C7RA11020K.               
Falih, BT, Mohammed, ST & Mohammed, NJ 2022, Effects of the silver nanoparticle synthesis from the leaves of the Capparis spinosa plant on the liver of mice infected with visceral leishmaniasis. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 20: 785-791.
Ferreira, MEC, Soletti, LdS, Bernardino, EG, Quesada, HB, Gasparotto, F, Bergamasco, R & Yamaguchi, NU 2022, Synergistic Mechanism of Photocatalysis and Photo-Fenton by Manganese Ferrite and Graphene Nanocomposite Supported on Wood Ash with Real Sunlight Irradiation. Catalysts, 12: 745. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12070745.            
Gautam, S, Agrawal, H, Thakur, M, Akbari, A, Sharda, H, Kaur, R, & Amini, M 2020, Metal oxides and metal organic frameworks for the photocatalytic degradation: A review. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 8: 103726. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.103726.       
He, Q, & Ge, M 2022, Visible-light activation of peroxydisulfate by magnetic BiOBr/MnFe2O4 nanocomposite toward degradation of tetracycline. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, 33: 5859-5877. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-07768-y.    
Imran Din, M, Rafique, F, Hussain, M S, Arslan Mehmood, H, & Waseem, S 2019, Recent developments in the synthesis and stability of metal ferrite nanoparticles. Science progress, 102: 61-72. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0036850419826799.                
Ismael, M 2021, Ferrites as solar photocatalytic materials and their activities in solar energy conversion and environmental protection: a review. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 219: 110786. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2020.110786.  
Kefeni, K K, & Mamba, B B 2020, Photocatalytic application of spinel ferrite nanoparticles and nanocomposites in wastewater treatment. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 23: e00140. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2019.e00140.  
 
Khadhim, K & Al-gubury, HY 2023, Hydrothermal synthesis of Cr2O3/ZnO nanocomposite for environmental applications. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 21: 947-954.
Liu, G, Dai, B, Ren, Y, & Zhang, W 2021, Rapid synthesis and characterization of spinel manganese ferrite nanopowder by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. Results in Physics, 26: 104441. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104441.       
Manohar, A, Vijayakanth, V, Vattikuti, SP & Kim, KH 2022, A mini-review on AFe2O4 (A = Zn, Mg, Mn, Co, Cu, and Ni) nanoparticles: Photocatalytic, magnetic hyperthermia and cytotoxicity study. Materials Chemistry and Physics, 126117. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2022.126117.
Mapossa, AB, Mhike, W, Adalima, JL, & Tichapondwa, S 2021, Removal of organic dyes from water and wastewater using magnetic ferrite-based titanium oxide and zinc oxide nanocomposites: a review. Catalysts, 11: 1543. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11121543.               
Miri, A, Sarani, M, Najafidoust, A, Mehrabani, M, Zadeh, FA & Varma, RS 2022, Photocatalytic performance and cytotoxic activity of green-synthesized cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. Materials Research Bulletin, 149: 111706. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.materresbull.2021.111706.        
Mishra, S, Acharya, R, & Parida, K 2023, Spinel-Ferrite-Decorated Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Enhanced Photocatalytic Detoxification of Organic Dyes in Aqueous Medium: A Review. Water, 15: 81. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/w15010081.    
Mmelesi, OK, Masunga, N, Kuvarega, A, Nkambule, TT, Mamba, BB, & Kefeni, KK 2021, Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles and nanocomposites: Photocatalytic, antimicrobial activity and toxicity in water treatment. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 123: 105523. 
Ortiz-Quiñonez, J-L, Das, S & Pal, U 2022, Catalytic and pseudocapacitive energy storage performance of metal (Co, Ni, Cu and Mn) ferrite nanostructures and nanocomposites. Progress in Materials Science, 100995.
Park, CM, Kim, YM, Kim, KH, Wang, D, Su, C & Yoon, Y 2019, Potential utility of graphene-based nano spinel ferrites as adsorbent and photocatalyst for removing organic/inorganic contaminants from aqueous solutions: A mini review. Chemosphere, 221: 392-402.
Sakka, S 2013, Chapter 11.1.2 - Sol-Gel process and applications. In S. Somiya (Ed.), Handbook of Advanced Ceramics (Second Edition) (pp. 883-910). Academic Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385469-8.00048-4.          
Shah, P, Unnarkat, A, Patel, F, Shah, M & Shah, P 2022, A comprehensive review on spinel based novel catalysts for visible light assisted dye degradation. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 161: 703-722. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2022.03.030.       
Shakir, I, Agboola, PO, & Haider, S 2021, Manganese spinel ferrite-reduced graphene oxides nanocomposites for enhanced solar irradiated catalytic studies. Ceramics International, 47(20), 28367-28376. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.06.254.
Sharma, E, Thakur, V, Sangar, S & Singh, K 2020, Recent progress on heterostructures of photocatalysts for environmental remediation. Materials Today: Proceedings, 32: 584-593. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.02.403.                
Singh, S, & Singhal, S 2019, Transition metal doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles: Efficient photocatalyst for photodegradation of textile dye. Materials Today: Proceedings, 14: 453-460. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.04.168.                
Subramaniam, MN, Goh, P-S, Lau, WJ, Ng, B-C, & Ismail, AF 2019, Chapter 3 - Development of nanomaterial-based photocatalytic membrane for organic pollutants removal. In: WJ Lau, AF, Ismail, A, Isloor & A, Al-Ahmed (Eds.), Advanced Nanomaterials for Membrane Synthesis and its Applications (pp. 45-67). Elsevier. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814503-6.00003-3.            
Toe, C Y, Tsounis, C, Zhang, J, Masood, H, Gunawan, D, Scott, J, & Amal, R 2021, Advancing photoreforming of organics: Highlights on photocatalyst and system designs for selective oxidation reactions. Energy & Environmental Science, 14(3), 1140-1175. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EE03116J.            
Vinosha, PA, Manikandan, A, Preetha, AC, Dinesh, A, Slimani, Y, Almessiere, M, Baykal, A, Xavier, B & Nirmala, GF 2021, Review on recent advances of synthesis, magnetic properties, and water treatment applications of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles and nanocomposites. Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism, 34: 995-1018. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10948-021-05854-6.    
Vinosha, PA, Manikandan, A, Preetha, AC, Dinesh, A, Slimani, Y, Almessiere, MA, Baykal, A, Xavier, B & Nirmala, GF 2021, Review on recent advances of synthesis, magnetic properties, and water treatment applications of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles and nanocomposites. Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism, 34: 995-1018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10948-021-05854-6.       
Wu, Q, & Song, Y 2023, Recent advances in spinel ferrite-based magnetic photocatalysts for efficient degradation of organic pollutants. Water Science and Technology, 87(6): 1465-1495.
Zhu, B, Cheng, B, Fan, J, Ho, W, & Yu, J 2021, g‐C3N4‐based 2D/2D composite heterojunction photocatalyst. Small Structures, 2(12), 2100086. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202100086.            
Zimur, SD, Gaikwad, P, Mali, AV, Patil, AP, Burungale, SH & Kamble, PD 2023, Magnetic and structural characterization of Sn doped cobalt ferrites; A visible light-driven photocatalysts for degradation of rhodamine-B and modeling the process by artificial intelligence tools. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 947: 169572. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.169572.
Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 14 October 2023

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics