Synthesis and characterization of Ag/CoFe < inf > 2 < /inf > O < inf > 4 < /inf > /polyaniline nanocomposite for photocatalytic application

Abstract

Ag/cobalt ferrite/polyaniline (CPA) nanocomposite has been synthesized by in-situ polymerization of aniline on preformed cobalt ferrite and Ag nanoparticles. Monodisperse cobalt ferrite (15–20 nm) and Ag (~10 nm) nanoparticles were prepared by coprecipitation and citrate reduction method respectively. Prepared nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. XRD confirms the presence of spinel cobalt ferrite nanoparticles in the composite. HRTEM results reveal the formation of core/shell structures of cobalt ferrite/polyaniline and also confirm presence of Ag NPs in the composite. SEM images show formation of aggregates of CPA nanocomposites and their corresponding EDS spectra confirms the elemental composition of the composites. The obtained CPA nanocomposite exhibits promising photocatalytic activity on azo dye methylene blue under sunlight and hence could be a potential candidate in water purification technologies.