Synthesis, characterization, optical and photocatalytic activity of yttrium and copper co-doped zinc ferrite under visible light

In this study, yttrium doped zinc ferrite (ZnFe(2-x)Y(x)O(4)x = 0.01-0.1) and yttrium and copper co-doped zinc ferrite (Cu(y)Zn(1-y)Fe(2-x)Y(x)O(4)x = 0.1 and y = 0.5) were synthesized by solution combustion method. The synthesized nanoparticles were authenticated by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDAX) and UV-visible spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized nanoparticles was studied by performing the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light. 95% of MB was degraded in 180 min using yttrium-doped zinc ferrite. 89% of MB was degraded in 30 min using copper and yttrium co-doped zinc ferrite under visible light using 10 mg of the catalyst and 50 mu l of hydrogen peroxide. Photocatalytic degradation of colorless pollutant bisphenol A also carried out using the doped zinc ferrite.