Effective elemination of 4-nitrophenol in water by reduced graphene oxide/CoFe2O4/Fe nanocomposite

Abstract

Visible-light photocatalysts with magnetic and Fenton-like properties hold great potential for practical applications. In this study, a reduced graphene oxide/cobalt ferrite/zero valent iron (rGO/CoFe2O4/Fe) ternary material was synthesized by combining co-precipitation, hydrothermal, and reduction with NaBH4, resulting in a unique nanocomposite that combines the high surface area and conductivity of rGO with the magnetic and catalytic properties of CoFe2O4 and Fe0. The as-prepared rGO/CoFe2O4/Fe nanocomposite was characterized by FTIR, XRD, UV-Vis DRS, VSM, SEM, EDX, Raman, and BET analyses. As a result, rGO sheets were effectively covered with a high density of CoFe2O4 and Fe0 (40 – 100 nm) nanoparticles. The rGO/CoFe2O4/Fe exhibited outstanding properties such as high saturated magnetization (31.18 emu/g at 11 kOe) with superparamagnetic property, high 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) degradation efficiency (98.78 %), fast removal rate (k = 0.0361 min−1), and narrow band gap energy (1.327 eV). As an excellent magnetic visible-light photo-Fenton-like catalyst, rGO/CoFe2O4/Fe has potential wastewater treatment.