Synthesis and Characterizations of Graphene/Copper Ferrite for Efficient Arsenic Removal

CuFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized via the sol-gel auto combustion method-their hybrid nanocomposite with layer-structured graphene. X-ray diffraction results confirmed the crystallite size of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles up to 53 nm. The standard deviation in crystallite size ranges from 34.57 nm of 20% copper ferrite to 53 nm of pure copper ferrite. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirm three distinct peaks at 1649 cm(-1), 1579 cm(-1), and 589 cm(-1) corresponding to C = O related to carboxyl stretching, C = C related to aromatic stretching, and Fe-O, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrate the surface morphology of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles and their nanocomposite. Vibrating sample magnetometer results illustrate that the pure crystal structure of magnetic CuFe2O4 nanoparticles has magnetic saturation (M-s) of similar to 16.69 emu/g with a considerable remanence of around 29.22 emu/g. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirms the qualitative and quantitative contents of ferrites and graphene in nanoparticles and nanocomposites. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis results show that the specific surface area increases from 10.88 to 288.5 m(2)/g by increasing the polymer concentration. Pore size has been calculated between 2.6 and 3.1 nm which shows that the synthesized nanoparticles are in the mesoporous range. The prepared composite was explored for adsorption of As(III) and As(V) from aqueous media for practical applications. The results demonstrate excellent adsorption capacities attributed to the synergistic role of CuFe2O4 and graphene sheets.