One-Step Ball-Milling Preparation of Highly Photocatalytic Active CoFe₂O₄–Reduced Graphene Oxide Heterojunctions For Organic Dye Removal

Abstract

We prepared CoFe2O4–RGO (RGO: reduced graphene oxide) composites by ball-milling without using toxic chemical reagents and high-temperature heat treatment. The exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide and anchoring of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles on graphene sheets were accomplished in one step. The microstructure of the heterophotocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman and transmission electron microscopy methods. The photocatalyst exhibited desirable photocatalytic performance with excellent recycling stability for the degradation of methylene blue, rhodamine B and methyl orange under visible-light irradiation. In addition, the CoFe2O4–RGO photocatalyst can be easily separated by an external magnetic field. The simple and efficient one-step ball-milling strategy for preparing the photocatalysts is more applicable to industrial production.