An investigation on magnetically separable ternary CeO2/Fe2O3/CuFe2O4 nanocomposites for visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

Design and development of multi-component nano-semiconductor materials have become an exciting theme in visible-light photocatalytic degradation of water contamination due to highly exposed surface area and low charge recombination rate. Herein, ternary CeO2/Fe2O3/CuFe2O4 nanocomposites were synthesized via a co-precipitation-assisted ultrasonication method and evaluated for photocatalytic degradation of malachite green (MG) and acid blue 92 (AB92) under visible light. Among the samples developed with different Cu:Ce ratios in PEG-assisted reaction, the CeO2/Fe2O3/CuFe2O4 nanocomposites designed with Cu:Ce = 1:0.2 ratio showed superior performance due to its optimal morphology, small particle size (29.51 nm) and narrow bandgap (1.65 eV). These features enabled 92.00% degradation of 10 ppm MG in the presence of 50 mg catalyst within 120 min, following pseudo-first-order kinetics (k = 0.0246 min−1). Magnetic measurements revealed moderate saturation magnetization (1.35 emu/g), ensuring efficient catalyst recovery. The CeO2/Fe2O3/CuFe2O4 nanocomposite's ability to retain nearly 64.79% of its activity over five cycles affirms its promise for practical and sustainable applications in real wastewater treatment settings.