Stabilized Pony-Sized-CuFe₂O₄/Carbon Nitride Porous Composites with Boosting Fenton-like Oxidation Activity

In this study, pony-sized Copper ferrite (CuFe₂O₄) nanoparticles were directly obtained and synchronously stabilized on nanoporous carbon nitride (MCN) named as CuFe₂O₄-MCN, which emerges interestingly as a magnetically-recycling heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst. The Fourier Transform Infrared, X-ray diffraction, N₂ desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were seriatim used to characterize these synthesized functional catalysts. These present results demonstrated that CuFe₂O₄-MCN afford appreciable physical textural characteristics including well-defined porous structure, advisable surface area and pore volume. The interaction between CuFe₂O₄ and MCN and its induced improved dispersion of CuFe₂O₄ NPs on MCN could be confirmed through XPS, FT-IR, and TEM evidences. Impressively, the resulted CuFe₂O₄-MCN composites exhibited a three times’ catalytic activity (k_obs, 0.076 min⁻¹) than that (k_obs, 0.026 min⁻¹) of mechanical mixture CuFe₂O₄-MCN(M) in 4-chlorophenol(CP) degradation. CuFe₂O₄-MCN porous composites was further evaluated in catalysis according to various controlled parameters, including catalyst loading, H₂O₂ concentration, catalyst dosage and pH of 4-CP degradation. At last, the catalytic stability of CuFe₂O₄-MCN composites was investigated via magnetic recycling and reusage in next catalytic test. After three successive experimental runs, the porous structure and catalytic activity of CuFe₂O₄-MCN catalysts remained constant.