Direct Synthesis of Magnetic CoFe2O4 Nanoparticles as Recyclable Photo-Fenton Catalysts for Removing Organic Dyes

Herein, CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were directly synthesized through a solution combustion method using ferric nitrate, cobalt nitrate, and glycine as raw materials. The effects of glycine on the phase composition and magnetic properties of the CoFe2O4 products were investigated. When the fuel/ferric nitrate ratio was 0.8, the obtained product was pure CoFe2O4 with an average particle size of 25 nm. Furthermore, the saturation magnetization is 77.3 emu/g, which is about 95.7% that of CoFe2O4 bulk materials at room temperature and good for recycling. The photo-Fenton catalytic properties of CoFe2O4 were investigated for assessing its efficacy in removing dyes. It could degrade the 20 ppm MB in 75 min. To improve the photo-Fenton catalytic performance, NH4HCO3 and glucose were employed as additives. Due to the pores formed by NH4HCO3 and glucose, the G-CoFe2O4 and N-CoFe2O4 could degrade the 20 ppm MB in 40 and 25 min, respectively. The results indicated that these additives can effectively improve the catalytic activity of CoFe2O4. The modified CoFe2O4 is a promising alternative recyclable photo-Fenton catalyst for removing organic dyes.