Enhanced Catalytic Activity and Magnetic Properties of Spinel Mn x Zn1-x Fe2O4 (0.0 aparts per thousandcurrency sign x aparts per thousandcurrency sign 1.0) Nano-Photocatalysts by Microwave Irradiation Route

Spinel Mn (x) Zn1-x Fe2O4 (0.0 a parts per thousand currency signxa parts per thousand currency sign 1.0) nanocatalysts were successfully prepared by simple one-pot microwave combustion method using glycine as the fuel. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectral results confirmed the formation of pure-phase cubic spinel structured products. Average crystallite sizes of the samples were calculated using Sherrer's formula, and the range from 21.15 to 15.48 nm. Spherical-shaped particles like nanostructured morphology were confirmed by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analyses. Magnetic characterization of the samples was measured by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and it was observed that the magnetization values increased with increasing Mn (2+) cation, due to the replacement of the non-magnetic nature of Zn (2+) by the higher magnetic moment of Mn (2+) in the ZnFe2O4 lattice and also the distribution of cations at tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites. Photocatalytic degradation (PCD) of methylene blue (MB) using spinel Mn (x) Zn1-x Fe2O4 (0.0 a parts per thousand currency signxa parts per thousand currency sign 1.0) nanocatalysts was carried out, and the PCD efficiency is increased with increasing Mn (2+) ions, and the sample Mn0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4 showed better efficiency than other samples, due to their smaller particle size and higher surface area.