Ferrites as solar photocatalytic materials and their activities in solar energy conversion and environmental protection: A review

Abstract

Ferrites have been widely known as excellent photocatalysts thanks to their excellent properties such as relatively narrow bandgaps, chemical, and thermal stability, excellent magnetic property, and low-cost. They have recently been explored for their visible-light activity for various photocatalysis applications. In this review, the classification of ferrites according to their crystalline structure is discussed. Several ferrites synthesis approaches have been reviewed including the citric acid-assisted sol-gel method, hydrothermal methods, coprecipitation, and solid-state reactions. Besides, optical, structural, electronic, and morphological properties of ferrites were characterized using several physical and analytical methods are highlighted. A comprehensive survey on their photocatalytic applications with more emphasis on their novelties is briefly reviewed. These applications not only include the degradation of organic and inorganic pollutants and bacterial disinfection, but also on hydrogen production via water splitting, and CO2 photoreduction. In this review, we summarize the latest developments in designing and developing highly efficient ferrite photocatalysts. We conclude with an overview and some observations on challenges and future directions in the exploration as a photocatalyst of ferrite-based materials.