Albumen-assisted Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Nickel Ferrite Photocatalyst

Abstract

As a simple step to remove the polluting dyes in aqua ecosystem, NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles well known for their ferromagnetic properties, low conductivity and high electrochemical stability were prepared by simple auto combustion method using egg white as fuel via green synthesis route. The structural, morphological and magnetic properties of prepared NiFe₂O₄ was analyzed. The desirable phase purity of the prepared spinel ferrite was deliberated by X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). XRD predicts the phase formation, particle size and lattice parameter of the spinel ferrite. The FTIR spectrum confirms the ferrite structure. The morphological and elemental analysis was made using SEM and EDAX. The hysteresis curve reveals the magnetic properties, such as remanence magnetization (Mr), coercivity (Hc) and saturation magnetization (Ms). The photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized samples was determined from degradation of methylene blue dye. The whole process was monitored using spectrophotometer at regular intervals of time. The maximum photocatalytic degradation efficiency for NiFe₂O₄ is around 95.6 %.

Keywords: NiFe2O4, Ferrite, Green synthesis, Egg white, Combustion, Photocatalyst.