One pot molten salt synthesis and photocatalytic studies of magnetically separable copper ferrite microcrystals

KOPPALA, SIVASANKAR; BALAN, RAMDAS; LITTER, MARTA I.; XU, LEI; LI, KANGQIANG; LIU, HUA; LEKSHMI, I.C.; MOHAMED, RIGANA BEGAM

Materials Today Communications

Elsevier

Año: 2021 vol. 29 p. 2243 - 2256

2352-4928

The preparation of tetragonal and cubic structured CuFe2O4 microcrystals by the one-pot molten salt synthesis ina eutectic mixture of NaCl - KCl molten salts at 800?900 ◦C is reported. Phase evolution and single-phase formationof CuFe2O4 on temperature and soaking period effect were studied. The structure and morphology of thesynthesized compounds were investigated using techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transforminfrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Microscopy studies revealed microcrystals of CuFe2O4in an octahedron morphology. Photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed theexistence of surface oxygen defects on both prepared compounds. The photocatalytic studies of tetragonal andcubic structured CuFe2O4 catalysts shown 89% and 93% degradation of the Rhodamine-B (RhB) dye, respectively,under UV-A (366 nm) irradiation in 90 min. Photocatalytic and magnetic studies indicate that theseCuFe2O4 samples are suitable magnetic separable photocatalysts for efficient dye degradation, and can bereasonably reused.