Green synthesis of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles using Hyphaene thebaica: A facile route towards magnetic and photocatalytic application

Wastewaters from textile industries contribute to significant volumes of colored and hazardous material pollution. Photocatalytic degradation offers a method to reduce organic pollutants, such as dye-containing effluents effectively. Nickel Ferrite (NiFe2O4) receives the most attention in spinel ferrites since it has diverse applications in catalysis, sensor technology, spintronics, magnetocaloric refrigeration, high-density data storage devices, etc. We performed the green synthesis of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles by fruit extract of a gingerbread tree (Hyphaene thebaica). We characterized it with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD indicates the inverse-spinel structure of the F3dm space group with crystallite size measured as 30 nm. SEM and TEM revealed the spheroidal structure of NiFe2O4 NPs. The green synthesized NiFe2O4 has tetrahedral and octahedral stretching vibrations of Ni–O and Fe–O, as suggested by FTIR. Doublet-like peak behavior in the Raman spectrum indicated the presence of a mixed spinel structure. We studied magnetic behavior in two different modes, and magnetization measurements showed a soft ferromagnetic behavior with a saturation magnetization of 1.527 emu g−1. For photocatalytic potential, the degradation efficiency was 97 % after 90 min at adding 1 g/L of NiFe2O4 nano-catalyst, which shows the high catalytic activity of NiFe2O4 NPs under visible light conditions.