Effect of (Co and Zn) doping on structural, characterization and the heavy metal removal efficiency of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanomaterials, especially ferrites, have various applications in mechanical, electrical, and optical fields. However, their abilities in environmental applications remain unexplored. In this work, the flash auto-combustion method has been used to prepare three different compositions of CuFe2O4, Zn-CuFe2O4, and Co-CuFe2O4 nanocomposite. The structure, spectroscopic, surface, and morphological properties of the prepared samples were characterized using XRD, FTIR, BET, and HRTEM, respectively. According to XRD analysis, the prepared ferrites consist of nanocrystalline particles with sizes of 24.5, 37.5, and 32.6 for CuFe2O4, Zn-CuFe2O4, and Co-CuFe2O4, respectively. Zn-CuFe2O4 and Co-CuFe2O4 had a single cubic phase, while a tetragonal phase was formed in CuFe2O4. The addition of cobalt and zinc to copper ferrite increased the crystallite size and the lattice parameters.