Green synthesis of copper doped magnesium ferrite nanoparticles for theevaluation of their photocatalytic properties

The contamination of water resources by industrial effluents, including organic dyes fromsectors like textile, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and paper, poses risks to human well-being and theecological system. These dyes, which account for a significant portion of wastewater, contributeto concerns due to their mutagenic, carcinogenic, genotoxic, and teratogenic effects. Additionally,the coloration of water hampers sunlight penetration, reduces oxygen levels, disruptsphotosynthesis, and negatively impacts aquatic life and the surrounding ecosystem [۱,۲].Consequently, researchers have been actively seeking effective, low-cost, and reliable techniquesfor the removal of organic dyes from wastewater. Magnetic photocatalysts provide the advantageof recyclability by integrating catalytic properties with magnetism, enabling their effortlessretrieval from the treated solution using an external magnetic field Among various magneticnanoparticles, ferrite nanoparticles have garnered significant interest in the field of photocatalysisdue to their electroconductivity, paramagnetic, optical, and chemical properties, high specificsurface area, and environmental friendliness [۳]. In this study, magnetic copper-magnesium ferritenanoparticles were synthesized as an effective and recyclable photocatalyst using a sol-gel method.Characterization of the synthesized materials included XRD, FTIR, BET, FESEM, TEM, EDS,PL, and UV-Vis DRS analyses. The sample demonstrated a higher BET surface area due to thesynergistic effect and interface between copper and magnesium metals. The photocatalysteffectively degraded malachite green dye under visible light irradiation. Notably, the magneticnanoparticles could be easily separated using an external magnet, while the photocatalystmaintained its stable and high photocatalytic performance even after five consecutive runs underthe same optimized cond