Characterization and photodegradation activity of hollow Zn1−xNixFe2O4 sphere

Carbon microspheres with good dispersibility were synthesized by hydrothermal method using glucose as raw material. Taking the as-prepared carbon microsphere as the template, a series of hollow Zn1−x Ni x Fe2O4 spheres (x = 0–1 with interval of 0.2) were prepared by chemical precipitation method. The composition, morphology, electrical and magnetic properties of the hollow Zn1−x Ni x Fe2O4 spheres were characterized. The results of nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms indicates that the Zn1−x Ni x Fe2O4 catalyst with different Ni content presents different specific surface area. And the adsorption–photodegradation of samples on rhodamine B and methyl orange solutions were discussed. In addition, the influence of Ni content on material photocatalytic activity has been discussed. These results indicated that the recyclable ZnFe2O4 had a better decontaminating activity than other Zn1−x Ni x Fe2O4 spheres.