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-CuFe₂O_{4 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. The absorption band in FTIR spectra, which represents the stretching vibrations along the [MetalO] bond at the octahedral (B) position, was nearly constant (412 Cm⁻¹) by the addition of Zn to CuFe2O4. The surface area and quantity of gas adsorbed on the surface of Co-CuFe2O4 were the highest. The greatest force constants [(Ko = 1.37 & KT = 1.32 105 dyne/cm] were detected in Zn-CuFe₂O₄. Co-CuFe2O₄ exhibited the highest saturation magnetization as well as magnetocrystalline anisotropy. From FESM, the particles have a homogeneous distribution, which is confirmed by the appropriate synthesis method. The nanonanosamples had an average particle size of 79 nm, 66 nm, and 56 nm for CuFe₂O₄, Co-CuFe₂O₄, and Zn-CuFe₂O₄, respectively. The surface area and quantity of gas adsorbed on the sample surface were increased by doping Cu ferrite with Co and Zn. All the prepared samples were tested for heavy metal (Cr⁶⁺) removal from the water; they demonstrated promising results after optimizing the experimental conditions at pH 7 and contact time 50 min, and these values reached 54%, 90%, and 93% for CuFe₂O₄, Zn-CuFe₂O₄, and Co-CuFe₂O₄ nanocomposite, respectively.