Ultrasonic-assisted solvothermal synthesis of self-assembled Copper Ferrite nanoparticles

The aim of this work was to characterize copper ferrite nanoparticles synthesized via solvothermal method and to investigate the effects of ultrasonic waves on the synthesis efficiency. Crystal structure, functional groups, microstructure, particle size, magnetic properties, specific surface area, porosity distribution and photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanoparticles were also investigated. Structural analyses revealed that nanostructured copper ferrites with spinel crystal structure have been successfully synthesized via both solvothermal and ultrasonic-assisted solvothermal methods. The powders contained submicron spheres which were consisted of nanoparticles with regular arrangement. The applied ultrasonic wave had significant effect on the shape and size of the spheres, particularly on their specific surface area, but it had no considerable effect on the magnetic properties. All the synthesized powders were superparamagnetic and their band gap energy was about 1.5 eV. High absorption rate is another unique characteristic of the powders so that it can complete the photocatalytic process in less than 10 min. The saturation magnetization of about 47 emu/g, together with negligible coercivity, make the synthesized nanostructured absorbent ideal for magnetic separation processes.