Photocatalytic performances and activities of Ag-doped CuFe2O4 nanoparticles

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocrystals were synthesized by a co-precipitation method. • Ag/CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} catalyst was prepared by the wetness impregnation strategy. • The structural properties of Ag/CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} were investigated by XRD, TEM, DRS, and XPS techniques. • Ag/CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} has higher photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: In this work, CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles were synthesized by a chemical co-precipitation route. The Ag/CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} catalyst was prepared based on the CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles by the incipient wetness impregnation strategy, which showed excellent photoelectric property and catalytic activity. The structural properties of these samples were systematically investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The photo-induced charge separation in the samples was demonstrated by surface photovoltage (SPV) measurement. The photocatalytic degradation of 4-CP by the Ag/CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} samples were comparatively studied under xenon lamp irradiation. The results indicate that the Ag/CuFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} sample exhibited the higher efficiency for the degradation of 4-CP.