Preparation and characterization of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with different capping agents and its photocatalyst application

Abstract

In this investigation we synthesize CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles as a highly efficient photocatalyst for degradation of methyl orange. In addition, a green method for synthesis of CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles with spherical morphology is proposed. We also investigated the effect of different carbohydrate sugars such as glucose, lactose and starch on morphology and particle size of nanoparticles. The crystal structures, morphology and chemical properties of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, vibrating sample magnetometer techniques and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of CoFe₂O₄ was investigated by degradation of methyl orange (MO) as cationic dye in aqueous solution under UV irradiation. The results indicate that about 77% of MO were degraded after 80 min.