Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Core–Shell ZnFe₂O₄@ZnO Nanoparticles for Visible Light Photodegradation

Abstract

A facile, efficient approach to fabricate ZnFe ₂ O ₄ @ZnO nanoparticles with a good core-shell structure was reported, involving the coating of successive layers of ZnO nanoparticles on a magnetic core by a sol-gel hydrothermal method at low temperatures. The as-synthesized ZnFe ₂ O ₄ @ZnO nanoparticles exhibited a narrow size distribution, with a typical size of 210 ± 19 nm and shell thickness of 35 nm. The ZnFe ₂ O ₄ @ZnO photocatalyst exhibited high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue under solar light. Compared with ZnFe ₂ O ₄ , ZnFe ₂ O ₄ @ZnO exhibited higher photocatalytic efficiency, caused by the generation of a large number of electron-hole pairs. ZnFe ₂ O ₄ @ZnO exhibited excellent reusability with high photocatalytic efficiencies, indicative of its suitability for the solar photocatalytic applications.