SONOCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF MGFE2O4 PHOTOCATALYST MATERIAL SUBSTITUTED WITH CO2+ IONS

• Main Author: Tawakal Gumelar, Fajar
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Kimia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/52285
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

One of the solutions to solve the water pollution problem caused by textile waste is with photocatalyst. Photocatalysts are semiconductor materials that can catalyze redox reaction with the help of electromagnetic radiation such as sunlight. The energy in the sunlight radiation is mostly in the visible region. MgFe2O4 photocatalyst material has a band gap value in visible region of 2,0 eV, therefore it can work well for absorbing sunlight radiation. However, MgFe2O4 has a low electrical conductivity and a short electron-hole recombination time. In this research, Co2+ ions were substituted into MgFe2O4 to form electron traps in order to improve its photocatalytic performance. Studies on the effect of substitution by Co2+ ions were carried out through the structural and physical properties, crystal field strength, and band gap of MgFe2O4. In the experimental study, the CoxMg1-xFe2O4 (x = 0; 0,1; and 0,15) synthesis was carried out by means of sonochemical methods using a bath type sonicator. The XRD measurement show that MgFe2O4, Co0,10Mg0,90Fe2O4, and Co0,15Mg0,85Fe2O4 photocatalyst were single phase with particle size of 37.71 nm; 48.04 nm; dan 55.98 nm. UV-Diffuse Reflectance Spectrometer (UV-DRS) measurement shows that the bandgap value decreases with the increasing of the Co2+ ion concentration, namely 2.0 eV; 1.57 eV; and 1.54 eV. Based on the calculation of Co2+ and Fe3+ ions crystal field strenght in MgFe2O4, it was found that electron trapping is formed in MgFe2O4 photocatalyst due to substitution by Co2+ ions.