Study of iron-zinc catalysts by Mössbauer spectroscopy

The Mössbauer parameters were determined on a series of catalyst mixtures of iron and zinc oxides with variable quantities of zinc. From these results, a change in the crystal structure of the iron oxide when introducing zinc into the samples was observed. The corundum structure of the -Fe₂O₃ phase was transformed into the spinel type of zinc ferrite when zinc oxide was present in any quantity. By means of these parameters a strong electronic interaction between the zinc ferrite and the zinc oxide present in excess was evident. The catalysts were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence /XRF/ and X-ray diffraction /XRD/.