Synthesis of MFe2O4 as (Photo)Electrocatalysts for Oxidation of Phenol

Abstract

This study investigated the development of a photo electrocatalysis (PEC) process for the degradation of phenol in water. The developed system consists of ferrite (MFe2O4, M=Cu or Zn) nanoparticles as active electrode, platinum as counter electrode, Ag/AgCl as reference electrode, H2O2 as oxidant, Na2SO4 as electrolyte, and UV radiation. MFe2O4 nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel and hydrothermal methods and characterized for their structure, chemical composition, morphological and photoelectrochemical properties using different techniques. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed the successful preparation of the MFe2O4 spinel ferrites, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed the morphology and distribution of the ferrite nanoparticles. The bandgap of the ferrites was calculated using UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) confirmed the phenol oxidation peak at 1V, and Chronoamperometry analysis proved that the system can be stable for as long as 8 hours. High-performance liquid Chromatography (HPLC) results showed that the copper ferrite exhibited the highest phenol degradation compared to the other ferrites in the photo, electro, and photo-electro catalysis processes. The phenol removal in the PEC system was 100% after 45 minutes. Furthermore, the initial concentration of phenol and H2O2 were the most critical parameters in the catalytic degradation process. Finally, the system stability was tested, and the results show that the system can be reused for five consecutive degradation cycles.

Date of Award	Apr 2023
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Mohammad Abu Haija (Supervisor)