Synthesis of ternary zinc spinel oxides and their application in the photodegradation of organic pollutant

Abstract Ternary zinc spinel oxides such as Zn 2 SnO 4 , ZnAl 2 O 4 and ZnFe 2 O 4 were synthesized and characterized, and their activities in the photodegradation of phenol molecules were investigated. Zn 2 SnO 4 , ZnAl 2 O 4 and ZnFe 2 O 4 powders were synthesized by hydrothermal, metal–chitosan complexation and solvothermal routes, respectively. The face-centered cubic spinel structure of each material was confirmed by powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and its porous structure by N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. The characterization of spinels was complemented with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-rays fluorescence (XRF), revealing the formation of spinel structures with high purity. The photocatalytic activity in the degradation of phenol was observed only with Zn 2 SnO 4 oxide. Mineralization degree of phenol molecules by Zn 2 SnO 4 photocatalyst determined by total organic carbon analysis (TOC) reached 80% at 360 min under sunlight.