Fabrication and study of magnetic and photocatalytic properties of nickel ferrite nanocomposite modified with zinc sulfide

In this study, nanocomposites with core-shell structure consisting of nickel ferrite and zinc sulfide were fabricated by rapid chemical method with the aim of enhancing the photocatalytic properties and were investigated in the ultraviolet region. Therefore, first samples containing nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NiFe2O4) were synthesized by co-precipitation method, then NiFe2O4-Zns nanocomposite with average diameters of 66 nm was made. The morphology and microstructure of the nanocomposites produced were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD analyzes show that the constructed nanostructures have a structure with a crystalline dominant phase. The magnetic properties of nanoparticles and nanocomposites prepared at room temperature were investigated using an alternating force gradient magnetometer (AGFM). The sample of nanocomposites produced using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) optical spectrometer and the effect of the amount of adsorbent and irradiation time on the percentage reduction of dye concentration of solutions were investigated. The aqueous and methyl orange acids tested in the presence of the nanocomposite were significantly reduced, which is confirmed by the photocatalytic properties of the nanocomposite, which ultimately led to a reduction in the concentration of dyes used.