The impact of cu-doping on Ni0.5-Co0.5Fe2O4 @graphitic carbon nitride for the degradation of organic pollutants

Herein, we report synthesis of Ni0.5-Co0.5Fe2O4 (NCF), CuxNi0.5-Co0.5Fe2-xO4 where × = 0.6 (CNCF) via co-precipitation followed by annealing, and its composite with g-C3N4 (CNCF@gCN) via ultra-sonication technique. The spectral and structural characteristics of the manufactured samples were assessed by applying a variety of characterization methods. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that both the NCF and CNCF samples has a cubic crystal structure. The use of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) successfully verified the existence of functional groups and vibrational modes inside the mixed spinel ferrites. The objective of this study was to assess the photocatalytic efficacy of the synthesized samples by the degradation of rhodamine B (Rh-B) dye and pendimethalin (PDM) herbicide using photocatalysis. The CNCF@gCN materials demonstrate significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison to both NCF and CNCF counterparts when used for the degradation of Rh-B and PDM. Moreover, Charge transfer resistance and flat band potential for all samples were also calculated via electrochemical measurements. The photocatalysts, namely Bare NCF, doped CNCF, and CNCF@gCN nanocomposite, exhibited degradation efficiencies of 48%, 75%, and 92% for Rh-B, and 41%, 52%, and 86% for PDM, respectively, when exposed to solar light for a duration of 105 min. The high photocatalytic activity of CNCF@gCN nanocomposite is due to presence of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) which provide large surface area and prevent electron-hole pair recombination. In addition, recyclability experiment was also performed to determine the stability of CNCF@gCN nanocomposite. The catalyst's remarkable chemical stability made it possible to regenerate and remove it from the dye without losing its photocatalytic efficiency.