Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminum Substituted Spinel Ferrites for Dielectric and Photocatalysis Application

Abstract

pinel Ferrite Nanoparticles (SFNs) exhibit distinctive characteristics and possess a diverse application. The present study involves the synthesis of soft spinel ferrites, whose general formulation is expressed as Li0.2Zn0.6Fe2.2-xAlxO4, where 'x' can assume values of 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The Aluminum-substituted Li0.2Zn0.6Fe2.2-xAlxO4 ferrite nanoparticles, accomplished through the chemical co-precipitation method. The investigation focuses on identifying the optimum synthesis conditions, including pH, reaction time, and temperature, to yield the most desirable outcomes. Synthesized samples employed various characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), dielectric properties, UV-vis spectroscopy and photocatalytic degradation to evaluate the investigated materials. Based on the examination of the X-ray diffraction pattern, it has been determined that each sample exhibits a single phase of spinel structure. The data reveals that an increase in Al3+ concentration from x=0. 0 to x=0.5 leads to a significant decrease in lattice constant values, ranging from 8. 46Å to 8.44Å. The results indicate that the sizes of the crystallites obtained fall within the expected range. The FT- IR spectra showed two distinct absorption bands that suggest the intrinsic stretching vibrations of O2- Fe3+ at approximately 591-615 cm-1 and 416428 cm-1 bond length. The respective lengths for the tetrahedral and octahedral sites are provided. The Maxwell-Wagner model is employed to elucidate the frequency-dependent dielectric properties through the phenomenon of space charge polarization. The expanding scale of dielectric losses noticed in the produced nanoparticles implies their possible suitability for application in microwave absorption, telecommunication, electronics, and other high frequency uses. Impedance spectroscopy and complex electric modulus were utilized to investigate the correlation between dielectric properties and grains and grain boundaries. The investigation focused on determining the effectiveness of nanoparticles (NPs) in breaking down photos by utilizing methylene blue, an organic dye. According to the findings, the degradation process reached a satisfactory level, with up to 84% efficiency for the composition of Li0.2Zn0.6Fe2.2-xAlxO4