Nanosized CuFe2O4/active carbon composite for efficient photocatalytic degradation towards organic dyes

Activated carbon/CuFe2O4 composite was made using a hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption isotherms, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were used to characterise the CuFe2O4/AC composites that were synthesised using the previously mentioned method. Each phase's existence is confirmed by XRD, and TEM revealed the spherically shaped nanoparticles. The Fe-O, Cu-O, and AC vibration modes in the composite are validated by the infrared spectra. Under 60 min of visible light irradiation, the 10%-CuFe2O4/AC composite, which has a bandgap of 2.19 eV and soft-ferromagnetic characteristics, demonstrated strong photocatalytic activity in decomposing MB (50 ppm, 30 mL) up to 99.5%. Through preservation of its high percentage of dye degradation, the 10%-CuFe2O4/AC composite may be used again. The results of the radical trapping experiments indicate that the primary active species involved in the photocatalytic degradation process are superoxide (O-2(-)) and hydroxyl (OH*). Five cycles of the photocatalyst's recyclability were investigated, and the results showed that the replicated catalysts showed very little rate variations. An effective photocatalyst for the breakdown of wastewater dye is CuFe2O4/AC.