Enhanced photodegradation of CuCo2O4 nanoflower for the dye degradation of Rhodamine B and Methyl Violet

The investigation examined into the effect of different hydrothermal reaction temperatures and durations on the formation of nanoflower-shaped CuCo2O4 nanostructures (CCO NPs). The structural, morphological, functional, optical, and magnetic properties of the synthesized CCO NPs were thoroughly examined. The optimal calcination temperature was determined using Thermogravimetric and Differential Thermal Analysis (TG/DTA), which identified 400 °C as the ideal temperature. Following X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis, pure CuCo2O4 samples were formed, with calculated average crystallite sizes of 27 nm for CCO-A, 48 nm for CCO-B, 30 nm for CCO-C, and 31 nm for CCO-D samples. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis provided additional confirmation of pure CuCo2O4 formation, with characteristic bands in the 665–662 cm-1 and 583–567 cm-1 ranges indicating the presence of CuO and CoO bonds. SEM, High-Resolution SEM (HRSEM) and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) all supported the observation of a distinct flower-like structural morphology. The optical properties of an optimized sample were revealed by UV–Visible Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (UV-DRS) analysis, which revealed a band gap of 3.3 eV. According to Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) results, the magnetic behavior of CCO-D nanostructures at room temperature exhibited paramagnetic characteristics. The saturation magnetization (Ms), remanent magnetization (Mr) and coercivity (Hc) values were determined to be 0.26218 emu/g, 2.7214 × 10–3 emu/g and 29.787 Oe, respectively. To evaluate photocatalytic performance, the CCO-D photocatalyst was used to degrade Methyl Violet and Rhodamine B dyes. CCO-D degraded MV dye with greater efficiency (93%) than RhB (85%) when exposed to sunlight. These findings highlight CCO-D's potential as a photocatalyst for the degradation of organic dyes.