New Insights into Mn1-xZnxFe₂O₄ via Fabricating Magnetic Photocatalyst Material BiVO₄/Mn1-xZnxFe₂O₄

Taiping Xie; Chenglun Liu; Longjun Xu; Hui Li

doi:10.3390/ma11030335

New Insights into Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ via Fabricating Magnetic Photocatalyst Material BiVO₄/Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄

Materials (Basel). 2018 Feb 26;11(3):335. doi: 10.3390/ma11030335.

Authors

Taiping Xie^{1

2}, Chenglun Liu^{3

4}, Longjun Xu⁵, Hui Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. deartaiping@163.com.
² Chongqing Key Laboratory of Extraordinary Bond Engineering and Advanced Materials Technology (EBEAM), Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing 408100, China. deartaiping@163.com.
³ State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. xlclj@cqu.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. xlclj@cqu.edu.cn.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. xulj@cqu.edu.cn.
⁶ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. lihui@163.com.

Abstract

BiVO₄/Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ was prepared by the impregnation roasting method. XRD (X-ray Diffractometer) tests showed that the prepared BiVO₄ is monoclinic crystal, and the introduction of Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ does not change the crystal structure of BiVO₄. The introduction of a soft-magnetic material, Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄, was beneficial to the composite photocatalyst's separation from the liquid solution using an extra magnet after use. UV-vis spectra analysis indicated that Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ enhanced the absorption intensity of visible light for BiVO₄. EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) investigation revealed that the introduction of Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ enhanced the conductivity of BiVO₄, further decreasing its electron transfer impedance. The photocatalytic efficiency of BiVO₄/Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ was higher than that of pure BiVO₄. In other words, Mn_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ could enhance the photocatalytic reaction rate.

Keywords: BiVO4; Mn-Zn ferrite; electron transfer; impregnation roasting method; magnetic photocatalyst; reaction kinetics.