Synergistic effect in the structural, optical, and electrical properties of harnessing NiFe₂O₄/CuO nanocomposite for enhanced environmental remediation

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of composite material comprised of NiFe₂O₄ and CuO. The preparation of this composites involves a facile and cost-effective co-precipitation method, followed by heat treatment. The aim of this study is to explore the potential of this composite material for various catalytic applications. The synthesized NiFe₂O₄/CuO composites were extensively characterized using various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), impedance analyzer, UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis.), Brunner-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These characterizations revealed the successful formation of a nanocomposite material with a well-defined structure and identified the oxygen vacancies/defects in the samples which might result in enhanced photocatalytic efficiency. Photocatalytic activity of 0.5NiFe₂O₄/0.5CuO composite showed degradation of methylene blue dye by 96.15% in 120 min. This work is not only to understand the photocatalytic mechanism but also to develop effective catalysts for the degradation of harmful organic pollutants.