CuFe2O4 Particles Research Articles

Photo-Fenton process for degradation of methylene blue using copper ferrite@sepiolite clay

In this research, CuFe2O4 decorated on sepiolite clay (SC@CuFe2O4) catalyst was fabricated using a simple solvothermal process. To study the structure, morphology, and photoelectric characters of the preapred catalyst, a series of methods including SEM, TEM, VSM, DRS, XRD, and EDX were employed in the present study. The investigation demonstrated that the CuFe2O4 particles had a spherical shape and were successfully incorporated onto the fibrous structure of the sepiolite clay (SC). The SC@CuFe2O4 catalyst was utilized in a heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction to degrade methylene blue (MB) dye. The use of SC effectively inhibited the agglomeration of CuFe2O4 and significantly improved the performance of the heterogeneous catalyst in degrading MB under visible light irradiation. The results of the suggested photo-Fenton-like reaction demonstrated that the complete degradation of MB (C = 20 ppm) could be achieved in 200 min reaction time under mild pH conditions. The results of the reuse experiments indicated that the proposed catalyst exhibited a high degree of reusability, maintaining its effectiveness even after six successive cycles. The SC@CuFe2O4 catalyst exhibits a high degree of catalytic capability, low price, and remarkable chemical stability, making it a promising candidate for use as a heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst in the degradation of organic pollutants.

Preparation of nanocomposite material based on Porphyrin and electrochemical analysis for green fuel production

In the current environmental pollution situation, using green fuel sources such as H2 gas to overcome the challenge of pollution and resource depletion is a useful solution. This research used the acid-base neutralization method with the recombination process to successfully fabricate CuFe2O4/TCPP nanocomposites. The morphological and structural properties of the materials were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) which show that the resulting material has a structure consisting of TCPP filaments with a diameter of about 20-30 nm and a length of µm, interspersed with CuFe2O4 particles with sizes in the range of 100 nm. The electrochemical properties of the as-prepared material film were investigated by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) on a glassy carbon electrode with a 3-electrodes system. The results show the appearance of electrochemical characteristics of copper ferrite/porphyrin hybrid materials and especially the change of electrochemical characteristics when this nanocomposite was irradiated by an external light source. These results are expecting to apply this material in the photocatalytic process to produce green fuel H2 from water.

Ascorbic acid enhanced CuFe2O4-catalyzed heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like degradation of phenol

CuFe2O4 particles were synthesized using the sol-gel self-combustion method and characterized for their compositional surface morphology and crystal structure. When compared to the photo-Fenton system without ascorbic acid (AA), the presence of AA significantly enhanced the catalytic degradation of phenol using CuFe2O4. The highest catalytic degradation efficiency was achieved at an AA concentration of 1 mmol/L, resulting in up to 98.6 % elimination of phenol in just 40 min. The reaction rate was found to be 31.7 times higher than that of the system without AA. The mechanism of AA enhancement in the CuFe2O4 photo-Fenton system was further investigated. Two key factors were found to contribute to the enhancing mechanism of AA introduction in the CuFe2O4 photo-Fenton system. Firstly, AA promoted the Cu/Fe redox cycle on the catalyst surface, leading to a more efficient generation of reactive species that are responsible for phenol degradation. Secondly, AA accelerated the leaching of metal ions from the catalyst surface, facilitating the homogenous Fenton effect. The Cu/Fe bimetallic cycle system offers new perspectives on effective Fenton catalyst design and provides crucial insights for reductant-enhanced photo-Fenton activation.

Design of a mixed‐matrix polyether sulfone membrane with well self‐cleaning capability for oil/water separation

AbstractA self‐cleaning mixed‐matrix membrane was successfully developed and fabricated using the reverse thermally induced phase separation (RTIPS) method, incorporating modified particles. To achieve this, DA@CuFe2O4 particles were prepared by modifying CuFe2O4 with dopamine (DA) and then fed into the membrane matrix. The RTIPS method was employed to create hydrophilic membranes that exhibited remarkable stability and toughness. X‐ray diffraction, Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis results showed that the particles were successfully modified. XPS, scanning electron microscopy, and FTIR proved that the modified particles were introduced into the film. The EDS spectra also showed that the self‐made CuFe2O4 particles with DA adsorbed on the surface were uniformly distributed in the organic matter. In addition, the results of the contact angle characterization, tensile test, water flux test, oil–water separation test, and cycle test showed that the material with a high water flux (1707.78 L/m2 h) and removal rate of >99.9% has good wettability, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and stain resistance. In addition, the photocatalytic performance of the modified membranes was demonstrated by studying the degradation of pollutants under visible light. Through photocatalysis, the membrane material obtained a higher utilization rate, which provided a new attempt to solve the membrane separation technology in the field of oily wastewater treatment.

Heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate by magnetic hybrid CuFe2O4@N-rGO for excellent sulfamethoxazole degradation: Interaction of CuFe2O4 with N-rGO and synergistic catalytic mechanism

In order to address the low catalytic performance of magnetic CuFe2O4 caused by the agglomeration, low conductivity and potential metal ion leaching risk, N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) with high charge density and rich active sites was employed as support to synthesize CuFe2O4@N-rGO (CuFe@NG), which was used for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to degrade sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Results showed that the CuFe@NG/PMS system exhibited excellent degradation rate and mineralization efficiency on SMX in 60 min, which exceeded 93.15% and 31.96%, respectively. Besides, its degradation rate constants was 1.68 times higher than that of the CuFe2O4/PMS system. The enhanced performance could be mainly ascribed to the efficient synergistic activation of PMS by two components: I. the successful dispersion of CuFe2O4 on N-rGO and the interaction between them exposed more Fe3+-O2- and Cu2+-O2- active sites via decreasing size and aggregation of CuFe2O4 particles; II. the supported N-rGO supplied extra CO, C–OH and C–NC active groups, resulting in a large number of π electrons; III. the pyrrole N formed by further doping of N could activate the π electrons and reduce the energy barrier of electron transfer. The abundant active groups and sites and excellent electron transfer ability co-accelerate the production of active species. Specifically, surface-bound radical (•OH, SO4•–) and singlet oxygen 1O2 played a dominant role according to ESR and quenching tests. Furthermore, M-O-C binding site between two components enhanced catalyst stability and reduced metal leaching, leading to its availability on reusability in the 5 cyclic experiments. Lastly, CuFe@NG/PMS system also possessed a strong application ability in actual aquatic environment for SMX treatment.

Bicarbonate enhanced heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate by copper ferrite nanoparticles for the efficient degradation of refractory organic contaminants in water

Nowadays, the treatment of residual refractory organic contaminants (ROCs) is a huge challenge for environmental remediation. In this study, a potential process is provided by copper ferrite catalyst (CuFe2O4) activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS, HSO5−) in the bicarbonate (HCO3−) enhanced system for efficient removal of Acid Orange 7 (AO7), 2,4-dichlorophenol, phenol and methyl orange (MO) in water. The impact of key reaction parameters, water quality components, main reactive oxygen species (ROS), probable degradation mechanism, rational degradation pathways and catalyst stability were systematically investigated. A 95.0% AO7 (C0 = 100 mg L−1) removal was achieved at initial pH (pH0) of 5.9 ± 0.1 (natural pH), CuFe2O4 dosage of 0.15 g L−1, PMS concentration of 0.98 mM, HCO3− concentration of 2 mM, and reaction time of 30 min. Both sulfate radical (SO4−•) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) on the surface of catalyst were proved as the predominant radical species through radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis. The buffer nature of HCO3− was partially contributed for the enhanced degradation of AO7 under CuFe2O4/PMS/HCO3− system. Importantly, according to 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and EPR analysis, the positive effect of bicarbonate may be mainly attributed to the formation of peroxymonocarbonate (HCO4−), which may enhance the generation of •OH. The magnetic CuFe2O4 particles can be well recycled and the leaching concentration of Cu was acceptable (<1 mg L−1). Considering the widespread presence of bicarbonate in water environment, this work may provide a safe, efficient, and sustainable technique for the elimination of ROCs from practical complex wastewater.

Annulation of N,N-dimethylanilines and maleimides catalyzed by reusable copper ferrite nanoparticles

Herein we report a method for the heterogeneously catalytic synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines via an annulation of N,N-dimethylanilines and maleimides. The reactions utilized the commercially available materials CuFe2O4, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) co-oxidant, and acetonitrile solvent. The condition was tolerant of a wide range of functional groups including bromo, ester, cyano, and secondary amine groups. The XRD result of recycled CuFe2O4 particles showed no significant difference compared to that of the fresh material.

Correlating the effect of preparation methods on the structural and magnetic properties, and reducibility of CuFe2O4 catalysts.

CuFe2O4 spinel oxide has attracted research interest because of its versatile practical applications, especially for catalysis. In this study, nanometre-sized CuFe2O4 particles were prepared by three different methods, including nanospace confinement in SBA-15, hard template removal, and sol–gel combustion. The relationship between structure, size, magnetic behaviour, and reducibility of the catalysts was further investigated by various advanced techniques. Samples prepared by impregnation and hard template removal show high surface area and small crystallite size with superparamagnetic behaviour. In contrast, the sol–gel sample exhibits ferromagnetic properties with a large crystallite size and low surface area. Although all samples present a tetragonal crystal structure, the distributions of Fe and Cu cations in tetrahedral and octahedral sites in the spinel structure are different. The reducibility results demonstrate that the supported CuFe2O4/SBA-15 shows the lowest reduction profile. These results could suggest that the synthesis method strongly affects the crystal properties and cation distribution in the spinel structure, microstructure, surface area and reducibility, which are among the most relevant physicochemical properties for the catalytic activity.

Self-assembled MoS2/magnetic ferrite CuFe2O4 nanocomposite for high-efficiency microwave absorption

Transition metal sulfides (TMDs) are considered to be high-performance electromagnetic absorbing materials on account of their small band gap and excellent dielectric properties. As a typical TMDs, two-dimensional MoS2 nanosheet, has attracted extensive research. However, single absorption mechanism has no longer satisfy the pursuit for novel absorbers. Herein, we introduce magnetic ferrite CuFe2O4 to construct novel absorber of CuFe2O4/MoS2 composite. The CuFe2O4 particles are encased in the 2D MoS2 nanosheets, forming a unique flower-like structure. Under the cooperative interaction of dielectric and magnetic loss, the CuFe2O4/MoS2 composite absorber realizes a wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 8.16 GHz (9.84 GHz −18 GHz) at 2.3 mm, when the optimum reflection loss is −40.33 dB, it means that electromagnetic waves in the entire Ku-band and part of the X-band can be effectively absorbed by the absorber. Moreover, an optimum reflection loss of −49.43 at 2.7 mm can be achieved. In brief, this work presents a strategy for obtaining novel high-performance absorbers.

Synthesis, characterization and photo-Fenton catalytic activity of magnetic CuFe2O4/Fe2O3 materials

In this work, we proposed to immobilize Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the surface of magnetic CuFe2O4 particles by a facile impregnation – annealing method at different annealing temperatures (200, 300, 400 and 500°C) in order to create new heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts with enhanced catalytic performance for the oxidation of organic dyes. The influences of annealing temperatures used in the synthesis procedure on the phase composition, the morphology, the particle size and the surface functional groups of our catalysts were investigated by XRD, FE-SEM and FTIR techniques, respectively. The photo-Fenton catalytic performance was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under both UVA and visible light illumination in the presence of H2C2O4 as radical-producing source. According to the experimental results, Fe2O3 nanoparticles were successfully coated on CuFe2O4 surface, which successfully formed the α-Fe2O3 phase in the phase composition and also increased the Fe3+ content on the surface. As a consequence, the rate constant of photo-Fenton catalytic degradation of methylene blue over these samples were clearly improved. More especially, owing to the good magnetic property of CuFe2O4 component, our CuFe2O4/Fe2O3 samples were easy to be separated from the solution by a magnet, making them more feasible in practical applications of environmental treatment. Among our catalytic samples, the CuFe2O4/Fe2O3 sample annealed at 300°C showed the best performance with the highest rate constants under both UVA light and visible light. Its catalytic activities was found to be 6.8 times higher than CuFe2O4 under UVA light and 2.1 times higher than CuFe2O4 under visible light. However, when the annealing temperature was up to 500°C, the catalytic activity was reduced, which can be explained by the growth of particles and the stabilization of surface Fe-O bonds.

Remodeling endogenous H2S microenvironment in colon cancer to enhance chemodynamic therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a newly emerged, minimally invasive treatment with high selectivity, few side effects, and good prospects for clinical application. However, CDT does not effectively inhibit the growth of colon cancer, which has a strongly reducing tumor microenvironment owing to a high endogenous expression of H2S. To overcome this limitation, a new strategy is proposed to enhance the CDT of colon cancer by remodeling the microenvironment through depletion of endogenous H2S by CuFe2O4 nanoparticles. After H2S depletion, the valence of Cu (II) and Fe (III) in CuFe2O4 particles is reduced to Cu (I) and Fe (II) and photothermal properties of the nanoparticles are activated, both these effects enhance CDT. Further, in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that endogenous H2S depletion by CuFe2O4 particles induced three effects that synergistically enhanced the performance of CDT. In this study, the development of a new strategy to enhance the CDT of colon cancer is reported.

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic parameters investigation of a new CuFe2O4/Bi2O3 nanocomposite

Synthesis of heterojunctions to improve the efficiency of photocatalyst and charge-transfer properties has been a major concern recently. A novel photocatalyst copper ferrite-bismuth oxide (CuFe2O4/Bi2O3) nanocomposite was synthesized with unique magnetic properties. In this nanocomposite catalyst, the nano-petals of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) were entangled with CuFe2O4 particles via the ultra-sonication method. The structure of as-synthesized samples was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), whereas the morphology and optical band gap was determined using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. Comparative photocatalytic activity of copper ferrite and the nanocomposite was examined for the degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye. The superior performance of photocatalyst is attributed to the visible light sanitizer; CuFe2O4 could assist Bi2O3 to absorb more photons of incident light which promotes the production of photoexcited electron-hole pairs. Additionally, the catalyst could be recycled and separated from the dye without any loss of photocatalytic efficiency owing to good chemical stability as well as magnetic separation.

Synthesis of magnetic CuFe2O4 self-assembled hollow nanospheres and its application for degrading methylene blue

Using ethylene glycol as solvent and PVP as structure-directing agent, CuFe2O4 nanospheres were successfully prepared by solvothermal method. The crystal structure, morphology, magnetic properties, and pore-size distribution of samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, VSM, and BET, respectively. The effects of various preparation factors on the crystal form and morphology of the obtained samples were systematically discussed. The result exhibited that the self-assembled hollow nanospheres with good crystal form and morphology are obtained under the conditions of 0.50 g PVP, 9 mmol NaAc, reaction temperature of 180 °C, and reaction time of 24 h. The catalytic activity of CuFe2O4 hollow nanospheres was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and the possible degradation mechanism and pathway of MB in the CuFe2O4/H2O2 photo-Fenton-like system were proposed. In addition, the properties of CuFe2O4 particles prepared by different methods were compared and analyzed. The sample synthesized by solvothermal method has a large specific surface area and excellent magnetic properties. Furthermore, the increase in the photoelectric response and the conductivity are beneficial to the improvement of catalytic performance.

Tartaric acid enhanced CuFe2O4-catalyzed heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like degradation of methylene blue

CuFe2O4 particles were obtained by sol-gel process and characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS. The effects of tartaric acid (TA) on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) were studied in the presence of CuFe2O4 and H2O2 under light irradiation. The results showed that introducing TA enhanced MB decolorization rate from 52.0% to 92.1% within 80 min. The contribution of superoxide anions (O2−) was only 10% and the contribution of hydroxyl radical (OH) was around 88%. For H2O2-CuFe2O4-photo system, in the presence (or absence) of TA, the dynamic change of OH suggested that the addition of TA could promote the generation of hydroxyl radicals. The enhanced effect of TA in TA-H2O2-CuFe2O4-photo system could be attributed to its own structure and the dissolved metal ions of the catalyst surface. In addition, a reasonable mechanism for the complex system was elucidated.

Adsorptive filtration of As(III) from drinking water by CuFe2O4 particles embedded in carbon nanotube membranes

AbstractBACKGROUNDFor effective removal of arsenite [As(III)] from drinking water, copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) particles were prepared by using a hydrothermal method and incorporated into layered carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes. The prepared composite membranes were used in the filtration of As(III) under conditions representative of drinking water treatment.RESULTSThe results demonstrated that the CNT membrane successfully immobilized CuFe2O4 particles and prevented their release into the filtered water. Moreover, the composite membrane consistently removed &gt;90% of As(III) under various solution chemical conditions. Besides, the CuFe2O4/CNT membrane was readily regenerated with 0.001 mol L–1 NaOH solution, allowing repeated and sustained use of the membrane for As(III) removal. However, the presence of phosphate or high concentration of natural organic matter (NOM) suppressed arsenic (As) removal, which necessitates consideration of feedwater properties in the application of the composite membrane.CONCLUSIONSThis study developed a facile method for the integration of CuFe2O4 particles with a membrane filtration technique for efficient As decontamination. The novel composite membranes have a promising potential for As(III) removal from drinking water. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

An integration of photo-Fenton and membrane process for water treatment by a PVDF@CuFe2O4 catalytic membrane

Membrane fouling always decreases the separation efficiency and shortens the membrane life, which severely hinders the practical application of the membrane technology. The photo-Fenton process can degrade various foulants with the generation of hydroxyl radicals, and its integration with membrane filtration may become an efficient way to improve the antifouling property and filtration performance of the membrane. In this study, the CuFe2O4 particles were synthesized and doped in the PVDF@CuFe2O4 membranes with increasing concentration from 0% to 1.0%. The degradation measurement of methylene blue (MB) solution shows the optimal conditions for the photo-Fenton process as CuFe2O4 concentration of 1.0%, pH of 3.0, and H2O2 dosage of 400 μL. With the photo-Fenton cleaning process, the PVDF@CuFe2O4 membrane (1.0%) exhibits versatile antifouling property to different types of foulants, including organic dyes (e.g. MB and rhodamine B (RhB)), nature organic matter (e.g. humic acid (HA)), and protein (e.g. bovine serum albumin (BSA)). With the integration of photo-Fenton and membrane process, the PVDF@CuFe2O4 membrane (1.0% of CuFe2O4) dramatically enhanced the separation efficiency, with the results of 99.77% to MB, 81.02% to RhB, 36.35% to HA, and 82.94% to BSA. The flux and rejection have been increased respectively to threefold and double of the corresponding data from the membrane filtration alone. Moreover, even after fifteen cycles of experiments, the average MB rejection is still higher than 70%, which further indicates the good stability and reusability of the PVDF@CuFe2O4 membrane. Therefore, this study provides a promising methodology for the successful fabrication of high-performance membrane through the integration of photo-Fenton and membrane process, and further proposes a new strategy on the design and application of functional materials for new generation of catalytic membranes.

A facile sol-gel strategy for the scalable synthesis of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles with enhanced infrared radiation property: Influence of the synthesis conditions

CuFe2O4 particles were successfully engineered by a facile sol-gel method. The synthesized products were characterized physically by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Besides, the effects of the sintering temperature and the molar ration of citric acid/the total metal cations (CA/MC) on their infrared radiant properties were investigated at the wavelength of 3–5μm. The highest infrared emission value ca. 0.911 was obtained when the test temperature was conducted at 800°C, indicating its potential application in infrared heating, infrared coating and drying fields.

Enhanced antitumor activity of surface-modified iron oxide nanoparticles and an α-tocopherol derivative in a rat model of mammary gland carcinosarcoma.

Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were obtained by coprecipitation of ferrous and ferric salts in an alkaline medium followed by oxidation; the nanoparticles were coated with poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric and elemental analyses, and magnetic measurements in terms of particle morphology, size, polydispersity, amount of coating, and magnetization, respectively. The effects of α-tocopherol (Toc) and its phenolic (Toc-6-OH) and acetate (Toc-6-Ac) derivatives on Fe2+ release from γ-Fe2O3@PDMA, as well as from γ-Fe2O3 and CuFe2O4 nanoparticles (controls), were examined in vitro using 1,10-phenanthroline. The presence of tocopherols enhanced spontaneous Fe2+ release from nanoparticles, with Toc-6-OH exhibiting more activity than neat Toc. All of the nanoparticles tested were found to initiate blood lipid oxidation in a concentration-dependent manner, as determined by analysis of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive species. Wistar rats with Walker-256 carcinosarcoma (a model of mammary gland carcinosarcoma) received Toc-6-Ac, magnetic nanoparticles, or their combination per os, and the antitumor activity of each treatment was determined in vivo. γ-Fe2O3@PDMA nanoparticles exhibited increased antitumor activity compared to both commercial CuFe2O4 particles and the antitumor drug doxorubicin. Moreover, increased antitumor activity was observed after combined administration of γ-Fe2O3@PDMA nanoparticles and Toc-6-Ac; however, levels of bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, and white bloods normalized and did not differ from those of the intact controls. The antitumor activity of the γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles strongly correlated with Fe2+ release from the nanoparticles but not with nanoparticle-initiated lipid peroxidation in vitro.

Colloidally stable surface-modified iron oxide nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization and anti-tumor activity

Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were obtained by co-precipitation of Fe(II) and Fe(III) chlorides and subsequent oxidation with sodium hypochlorite and coated with poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) [P(DMAAm-AA)]. They were characterized by a range of methods including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), elemental analysis, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. The effect of superparamagnetic P(DMAAm-AA)-γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles on oxidation of blood lipids, glutathione and proteins in blood serum was detected using 2-thiobarbituric acid and the ThioGlo fluorophore. Finally, mice received magnetic nanoparticles administered per os and the antitumor activity of the particles was tested on Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) in male mice line С57ВL/6 as an experimental in vivo metastatic tumor model; the tumor size was measured and the number of metastases in lungs was determined. Surface-modified γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles showed higher antitumor and antimetastatic activities than commercial CuFe2O4 particles and the conventional antitumor agent cisplatin.

Heterogeneous magnetic catalyst for S-arylation reactions

A convenient method for the synthesis of monodisperse, superparamagnetic copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles with high surface area has been described. The synthesized material was characterized by various techniques. XRD showed the nanocrystalline nature of CuFe2O4 with a crystallite size of 6nm. TEM analysis showed that uniform spherical CuFe2O4 particles are formed with a size of 55±5nm. N2 adsorption/desorption measurements confirmed the mesoporous nature of the sample with surface area >216m2g−1. The field dependent magnetization, illustrated by VSM and saturation magnetization was found to be 44emug−1. The catalytic applications of the synthesized CuFe2O4 nanoparticles were explored for the cross-coupling of thiols with diverse range of aryl halides. Aryl iodides and bromides result in biarylsulfides in good to excellent yields (62–98%) whereas aryl chlorides gave significant amount of diaryldisulfide. Scope of this catalytic protocol further extended to one-pot synthesis of biologically important tricyclic dibenzothiazepines. The superparamagnetic nature of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles was found to be advantageous for their easy, quick and quantitative separation from the reaction mixture. Negligible leaching of Cu and Fe in consecutive cycles makes the catalyst economical and environmentally benign.