Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by ZnO/NiFe2O4 nanoparticles

Abstract This work reports the successful solid state synthesis of ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite by calcinations of both green synthesized ZnO nanorods and NiFe 2 O 4 prismatic nanorods at high temperature (850 °C) for ten hours. These nanomaterials were characterized for structural, functional groups and morphological studies using XRD, FTIR and SEM respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts was assessed through photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. The photocatalytic studies reveal that the ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite exhibits high degradation efficiency under UV light. The study shows that in the removal of MB solution by ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles, OH and photoproduced holes h + are the main species. Preparation of ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite by coupling of NiFe 2 O 4 with green synthesized ZnO in solid state method is the novelty of this report. The synthesized recyclable ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite has potential applications in the treatment of both domestic and industrial waste water.