Synthesis, characterization and optical properties of lanthanum doped zinc ferrite nanoparticles prepared by sol–gel method

Abstract

Lanthanum doped zinc ferrite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by sol–gel method with the aid of zinc (II) nitrate, iron (III) nitrate, lanthanum (III (nitrate and propylene glycol. Besides, the effect of different type of surfactants such as CTAB, PVP, SDS, and oleic acid on the morphology and particle size of final product was investigated. The as-synthesized ZnFe2−xLaxO4 nanoparticles were characterized by means of several techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The magnetic properties of as-prepared ZnFe2−xLaxO4 nanoparticles were also investigated with vibrating sample magnetometer. To evaluate the photocatalyst properties of nanocrystalline ZnFe2−xLaxO4, the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under ultraviolet light irradiation was carried out.