Preparation of nickel ferrite nanoparticles via citrate-nitrate method under ultrasound and their evaluation as photocatalysts
Subject Areas : journal of New MaterialsAlireza Ziaei-Abiz 1 , Sayed Ali Hassanzadeh-Tabrizi 2 , Ali Saffar 3 , Reza Ebrahimi-Kahrizsangi 4 , Mahdi Omidi 5
1 - PhD student, Department of Materials Engineering, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
2 - Professor, Department of Materials Engineering, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
3 - Associate professor, Department of Chemistry, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
4 - Professor, Department of Materials Engineering, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
5 - Assistant professor, Department of Materials Engineering, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
Keywords: Nickel ferrite, Nanoparticles, Citrate-nitrate method, Ultrasound, Photocatalyst,
Abstract :
Introduction: Nickel ferrite nanoparticles are a type of magnetic nanoparticles belonging to the ferrite family and possess an inverse spinel structure. These nanoparticles have widespread applications due to their tunable magnetic properties, high chemical stability, and well-ordered crystalline structure.
Methods: In this study, a citrate-nitrate method combined with sonication was employed to synthesize magnetic nickel ferrite nanoparticles. The synthesized magnetic nanopowders were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The photocatalytic activity of nickel ferrite in the degradation of methyl orange was evaluated.
Findings: X-ray diffraction data confirmed the successful synthesis of nickel ferrite with a spinel structure. The crystallite size and strain of the samples were measured using the Scherrer and Williamson-Hall methods. The crystallite size calculated by Williamson-Hall was larger than that obtained from the Scherrer formula. The lattice parameter was determined via the Nelson-Riley extrapolation method to be 8.3466 Å. According to microstructural analyses, the produced nanoparticles had particle sizes ranging from 20 to 200 nm. Magnetic measurements indicated that the nickel ferrite nanoparticles exhibited a saturation magnetization of 41.5 emu/g. The optical band gap of the produced nickel ferrite, attributed to the crystal field splitting of the 3d orbitals, was measured at 1.75 eV, which is well aligned with the solar spectrum.
Conclusion: The results indicate the successful formation of nickel ferrite with a pure spinel structure without unwanted phases. The formed nanoparticles showed photocatalytic properties in the photodegradation of methyl orange dye. The catalytic activity of the produced nanoparticles is attributed to the formation of radical active species upon light irradiation of the samples.
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