PHOTOCATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF NANOCRYSTALLINE ZnFe2O4 SYNTHESIZED AT LOW TEMPERATURE BY SOLVO-COMBUSTION METHOD

Facile, low temperature solvo-combustion synthesis route is used to prepare nanocrystalline ZnFe2O4 having spinel structure. Synthesized ZnFe2O4 has been analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), TEM and UV-Visible spectrometry. XRD analysis indicates the single-phase of the material ZnFe2O4, whose crystallite size was found to be 10 nm evaluated using Scherrer's equation and confirmed from TEM image. The visible-light-activated photocatalytic activity of the nanocrystalline ZnFe2O4 has been compared to P-25 degussa TiO2 reference catalyst, using a visible light for the degradation of phenol.