Abstract
Ni1-xCuxAl2O4 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1) nanoparticles were prepared via a polyacrylamide gel method. The compounds were characterized by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, UV–vis diffuse reflectance, and scanning electron microscopy. The produced powders were studied for dual applications of pigment and photocatalyst. The results showed that a spinal structure with an average particle size of 70 nm was obtained via this polymer-assisted synthesis method. The substitution of copper in the structure of nickel aluminate caused an increase in crystallite size growth, whereas it decreased the band gap energy of the samples. DRS results demonstrated that the band gap energy of Ni1-xCuxAl2O4 with x = 0 reduced from 3.4 eV to 2.51 eV for the sample with x = 0.75. The CIE colorimetric values of the samples showed that the color of the nanoparticles changed from cyan for x = 0 to brown for x = 0.75. The photocatalytic investigations revealed that all the produced powders can effectively remove methylene blue pollution from water.
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