Wet chemical route synthesis of spinel oxide nano-catalysts for photocatalytic applications

Transition metal spinel type mixed oxides (FeCo2O4, MnCo2O4 and ZnCo2O4) nano-catalysts have been synthesized via co-precipitation route. The samples were characterized using XRD and FE-SEM techniques to determine structure and morphologies respectively. Furthermore, FTIR and BET analysis were carried out in order to confirm the structure and calculate surface areas of the samples. The photocatalytic potency of synthesized nano-catalysts have been examined for aqueous solution of methylene blue under visible light. It is found that photocatalytic activity of simple transition metal oxides was enhanced by making their binary/ternary metal oxides. FeCo2O4 exhibited highest photocatalytic efficiency among the prepared spinel structures while MnCo2O4 possess lowest efficiency. The photocatalytic behavior of mixed transition metal oxides can be accredited to its spinel structure, small particle size and large surface area. XRD and BET results revealed the small crystallite and particle size of spinel mixed oxides. The small crystallite size of spinel mixed oxides nano-structures contributes to increased photocatalytic activity by increasing the surface area of photocatalyst, decreasing the chance of reunion of charge carriers. It is observed that these binary oxide nano-structures have potential applications in heterogeneous photo decay of environmental contaminants and can act as propitious materials for resolving environmental issues and establishing green environment.