Synthesis and application of rGO/CoFe2O4 composite for catalytic degradation of methylene blue on heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation

Abstract

A high-specific surface-area, monodisperse and highly active magnetic composite reduced graphene oxide rGO/CoFe2O4 were synthesized using one-pot solvothermal reaction. Concretely, Fe(acac)3 and CoCl2∙6H2O used as starting materials were grown on graphene oxide at 200℃ to prepare rGO/CoFe2O4 composite. Graphene oxide was reduced to graphene, and CoFe2O4 microspheres were simultaneously generated on the carbon basal planes under the conditions generated in the solvothermal system. The morphology and structure of the prepared nanocomposite were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibration sample magnetometer (VSM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Moreover, the heterogeneous catalytic activity and degradation ability were investigated by degrading methylene blue (MB) experiment of Fenton-like reaction. The satisfactory results demonstrated that the rGO/CoFe2O4 showed excellent catalytic degradation ability toward MB than CoFe2O4 in water phase, thereby suggesting that rGO played an important role in rGO/CoFe2O4 for the decomposition of MB. Optimal degradation was achieved (nearly 100% within 15min) using initial concentrations of 3.0mmol/l H2O2, 5.0mmol/l NH2OH and 20mg/lMB. In addition, the nanocomposite can serve as an effective catalyst for decomposition aromatic amines in industrial effluent sample, which indicated its potential for practical applications in water pollutant removal and environmental cleanup.