Magnetic and photocatalytic properties of n- and p-type ZnFe₂O₄ particles synthesized using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

抄録

In the equilibrium state, although ZnFe₂O₄ is paramagnetic, it is known that its magnetic property can be modified under nonequilibrium perturbations such as rapid cooling. Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis is a kinetic process involving rapid cooling. In this work, ferrimagnetic ZnFe₂O₄ particles were synthesized successfully. Furthermore, by changing the carrier gas, p-type and n-type ZnFe₂O₄ particles were synthesized. The p-type ZnFe₂O₄ showed low photocatalytic activity, but n-type ZnFe₂O₄ showed considerably strong activity against UV light. Recently, synthesis of magnetically separable photocatalyst has been developed with hybrid or composite of ferrite and TiO₂. The fact that our ZnFe₂O₄ particles show both ferrimagnetic and photocatalytic properties indicates that this material will present new vistas as a magnetically separable photocatalyst.