Structural, magnetic, and catalytic studies of microwave-combustion/ball-mill synthesized zinc ferrite nanoparticles

• Nano - crystallites Zinc ferrites were prepared via microwave-combustion/ball-mill. • The crystallite size decreased with mill, while the strain increased. • The magnetization of saturation decreased when the mill time increased to 330 min. • The samples showed robust activity and high selectivity towards propene and acetone formation. By utilizing the microwave-combustion approach, it was possible to synthesize nanocrystals made of zinc ferrite from their stoichiometric metal nitrates and glycine mixtures. The magnetic and structural traits were assayed via FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM and VSM. Results demonstrated that the as-prepared sample is a monophase zinc ferrite with noticeable crystallinity and 27 nm crystallite proportions. A trace of the α-Fe 2 O 3 phase is observable and the crystallite size diminished with milling. The SEM micrographs show that the samples have a mesoporous structure. TEM images showed agglomerated particles, while the as-prepared samples electron diffraction patterns maintained high crystallinity. The as-prepared ZnFe 2 O 4 with a saturation magnetization value of 47 emu/g at room temperature was observed. After 330 min of milling, the aforementioned value was reduced to 29 emu/g. The catalytic activity of all samples was analyzed via dehydrogenation-dehydration of isopropyl alcohol. The outcomes showed the robust activity and high selectivity of the samples towards propene and acetone formation.