Hydrothermal synthesis of Cu-Fe3O4 nanocomposites towards catalytic degradation of organic dyes

Abstract

Degradation of hazardous organic dyes utilizing multifunctional catalytic materials is supposed to be an efficient and promising method. Here, homogeneous Cu-Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites are synthesized through a facile and versatile one-pot hydrothermal method. The prepared Cu-Fe₃O₄ possesses spherical structure with rough surface and average diameter of 230 nm. High catalytic activity and structure stability make Cu-Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites effectively degrade rhodamine B, methylene blue, methyl orange, and congo red. The existence of magnetic Fe₃O₄ leads the nanocomposites to separate from the solution through external magnet and reuse for cycle degradation. And during the cyclic utilization, Cu-Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites keep high catalytic activity and, thus, could be used as an efficient degradation catalyst for the application of organic dyes.

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