Structural, Optical, and Isothermic Studies of CuFe₂O₄ and Zn‐Doped CuFe₂O₄ Nanoferrite as a Magnetic Catalyst for Photocatalytic Degradation of Direct Red 264 Under Visible Light Irradiation

Abstract

Cu and Zn‐doped Cu ferrites were synthesized by sol–gel auto‐combustion method. The samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, VSM, FT‐IR, and DRS methods. Powder XRD analysis and FT‐IR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of ferrites spinel phase. The crystallite sizes were calculated using Scherrer's equation. The morphologies and sizes of the synthesized nanoparticles have been observed by scanning electron microscopy. The saturation magnetization (MS) is obtained from VSM data. The energy band gaps were calculated from UV–DRS absorption data. Removal of Direct Red 264 was carried out by CuFe2O4 and Zn‐doped CuFe2O4 as catalysts under a visible lamp. The kinetic and isothermic analysis of photocatalytic degradation was studied. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13109, 2019

Insights into the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction and Photocatalytic Methylene Blue Degradation of Mixed Spinel NixCu1–xFe2O4 Nanocomposites Anchored at Sulfur-Doped g-C3N4

“…The obtained peaks were fairly broad, which is due to the existence of small crystalline particles, variation in electron density, and point defects. The findings have validated the existence of cubic spinel structures of mixed spinel ferrites with the space group Fd 3̅ m . − The sharpness of the patterns indicates the good crystallinity of the synthesized nanostructures …”

“…In recent years, spinel ferrites have been explored as efficient photocatalysts by the researchers due to their high absorption ability, recyclability, and monodispersity, which support their exceptional ability to degrade organic pollutants. ,,− Moreover, doping or equivalent substitution of spinel ferrites with other metal ions, such as Co, Cd, and Cu, as mixed spinel ferrites is also considered an effective engineering strategy to increase the catalytic activity of the nanostructures through the formation of intimate interactions with the targeted agents. In addition, the doped spinel ferrites possess good ferromagnetic and photocatalytic properties and stability for chemicals and heat. − Based on the above mentioned strategy, we have synthesized Ni x Cu 1– x Fe 2 O 4 mixed spinel ferrite by doping NiFe 2 O 4 with Cu 2+ ions. Among the several spinel ferrites, NiFe 2 O 4 is one of the most suitable electrocatalysts for OER as well as a photocatalyst for degradation due to its rich valence states, high electrical conductivity, and narrow band gap. , …”

Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Investigation of CuFe2O4 for the Degradation of Dyes under Visible Light

“…The experimental data were used to determine the velocity constants and the half-life times to obtain the kinetic information of the photocatalytic tests with the CuFe 2 O 4 samples. As the photocatalysis processes belong to the pseudo-first-order reactions, Equation ( 4) was used to calculate the velocity constants [30]:…”

“…Nowadays, to produce CuFe 2 O 4 , several methods have been considered. The most utilized ones are the solid-state reaction [23], co-precipitation [26], sol-gel [27], solvothermal [28], hydrothermal [29], and combustion [30]. It is worth highlighting the last method, synthesis combustion, which is a fast process, effective, and has a low cost for preparing several materials, mainly nanomaterials and catalysts [31].…”