Photo catalyst CoFe2O4–CdS nanocomposites for degradation of toxic dyes: investigation of coercivity and magnetization

Abstract

In this work, firstly CoFe2O4 nanostructures were synthesized via a simple precipitation method. Then cadmium sulphide and CoFe2O4–CdS nanocomposites were prepared by a fast chemical procedure. The effect of concentration, temperature and precipitating agent on the morphology and particle size of the magnetic products was investigated. The prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Alternating gradient force magnetometer shows the super-paramagnetic and ferromagnetic property of the ferrite nanostructures. The photocatalytic behaviour of CoFe2O4–CdS nanocomposites was evaluated using the degradation of three azo dyes (acid black, acid brown and methyl orange) under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results show that nanocomposites have applicable magnetic and photocatalytic performance.