Synthesis and testing of NixZn1-xFe2O4/CNTs photoresponsive magnetic composite catalysts for hydrogen generation from water splitting

The world is facing environmental pollution and energy shortage challenges due to the enormous wastage of organic pollutants by industries and the rapid growth of the human population. Photocatalysis has been reported as an efficient technology to mitigate these two emerging issues. This study investigated heterojunction photocatalysts based on NixZn1-xFe2O4/CNTs for enhanced H-2 production from water splitting. The role of CNTs in accepting electrons during redox reactions, improving the photocatalytic activity and stability of NiZnFe2O4, and reducing the recombination of charge carriers is also elaborated in this study. The synthesized NixZn1-xFe2O4/ CNTs composites were characterized using several methods, including SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, and UV-Vis-DRS to examine their magnetic electrical, opto-physical, and photocatalytic activity. The maximum hydrogen evolution rate of 4550 mu molh(-1)g(-1) was observed using N(0.4)Z(0.6)FC(0.3), which is 5 and 2.3 times greater than that of NZF and Ni0.1Zn0.9FC0.3 catalysts, respectively. The successive cycles of hydrogen production using N(0.4)Z(0.6)FC(0.3) showed strong stability and reusability of this catalyst. The photocatalytic mechanism of water splitting using NixZn1-xFe2O4/CNTs photocatalysts is also deduced in this study.