Photo-degradation of azo-dyes by applicable magnetic zeolite Y–Silver–CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposites

Magnetic CoFe₂O₄ and silver nanoparticles were synthesized via simple chemical reactions using precipitation method at temperature of 60 °C. The all obtained materials are in the range of nano-scale magnetic particles. The effect of different surfactants (anionic, cationic and neutral) on the morphology of the products was investigated. zeolite Y–Ag–CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposites were also prepared by so called “ship in bottle” procedure. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern, Fourier transform infra-red were used to study the structural and physical properties of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles. The magnetic properties of the product were also investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer. The cobalt ferrite nanoparticles exhibit various ferromagnetic behaviours by changing in surfactants at room temperature. The photocatalytic behaviour of zeolite Y–Ag–CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposite was evaluated using the degradation of four various azo dyes aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The results confirm that zeolite Y–Ag–CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposites are suitable materials with suitable performance in photo-catalytic applications.