Preparation of CuFeO₂ catalysts with different structures and their performance in degrading organic pollutants

With the increasingly severe problem of environmental pollution, effective treatment of organic pollutants has become a key issue that urgently needs to be addressed in the field of environmental protection. CuFeO₂, as a composite material with excellent catalytic performance, has shown great potential in the degradation of organic pollutants. This study focuses on the preparation of CuFeO₂ catalysts with different structures and the performance evaluation of their degradation of organic pollutants, aiming to improve degradation efficiency by optimizing the catalyst structure. Specifically, cube-like and flaky CuFeO₂ catalysts were prepared by the sol-gel method and hydrothermal synthesis method respectively, and the crystal structure, morphology and element composition of the catalysts were characterized in detail by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, amongst others. In terms of performance evaluation, ofloxacin was chosen as the target pollutant, and the degradation rate of the catalyst under different conditions was measured by a UV visible spectrophotometer. The influence of factors such as catalyst dosage, reactant concentration, and reaction time on the degradation performance was systematically investigated. The research results show that both cube-like and sheet-like CuFeO₂ catalysts exhibit good degradation performance, and sheet-like catalysts show higher degradation rates under the same conditions. In addition, the free radical capture experiment further revealed the mechanism of the CuFeO₂ catalyst in degrading organic pollutants, that is, under the action of the catalyst, H₂O₂ generates hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), and ˙OH has an extremely strong oxidation potential (the oxidation potential is 2.8 V), which can damage the structure of organic substances and oxidize and degrade them into inorganic substances such as CO₂ and H₂O.