Hollow CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 Heterojunction Boost Photocatalytic Oxidation Activity for Organic Pollutants

Abstract

P-n heterojunction-structured CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 hollow spheres with a diameter of 250 nm were synthesized using a template-free solvothermal method, and time-dependent morphological studies were carried out to investigate the hollow formation mechanism. The CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 with a molar ratio of 1:2 (Cu:Mg) had the highest degradation efficiency with the model organic dye Acid Orange 7, with a degradation rate of 91.96% over 60 min. The synthesized CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, TEM, HRTEM, UV-vis spectroscopy, Mott–Schottky, and EIS. Due to the synthesis of the p-n heterojunction, CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 has efficient photogenerated carriers, and the hollow structure has a higher specific surface area and stronger adsorption capacity, which is significantly better than that of CuFe2O4 and MgFe2O4 in terms of photocatalytic performance. The outstanding performance shows that the p-n heterostructure of CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 has potential for application in wastewater degradation.