Formation Mechanism and Lattice Parameter Investigation for Copper-Substituted Cobalt Ferrites from Zingiber officinale and Elettaria cardamom Seed Extracts Using Biogenic Route

Biogenic routes for the synthesis of nanoparticles are environmentally friendly, nontoxic, biocompatible, and cost-effective compared to traditional synthesis methods. In this study, cobalt ferrite was synthesized using Zingiber officinale and Elettaria cardamom Seed extracts. Effect of copper contents (x = 0.0, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9) on the plant extracted Cux(Co1−xFe2O4) was investigated by XRD, SEM, EDX, UV-Vis., PL, FE-SEM, FTIR and photocatalytic activity. XRD results revealed that nanoparticles exhibit a cubical spinel structure with an average diameter of 7–45 nm, calculated by the Debye Scherer formula. The value of the lattice parameter decreased from 8.36 Å to 8.08 Å with substitution of copper, which can be attributed to mismatch of ionic radii of Cu²⁺ (0.73 Å) and Co²⁺ (0.74 Å) ions. SEM analysis showed that nanoparticles exhibit a spherical shape (~13 nm diameter) for undoped samples and low Cu concentration, while they changed to a hexagonal structure at higher Cu concentration (x = 0.9) with a diameter ~46 nm and a decreased degree of agglomeration. FE-SEM further confirmed the nanoparticles’ size and shape. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of cobalt, iron, and oxygen without contamination. The optical absorption spectra of UV-vis and PL showed red-shift, which can be accredited to larger crystalline sizes of nanoparticles. FTIR spectra showed two main bands at 410 and 605 cm⁻¹, indicating the presence of intrinsic vibrations of the octahedral and tetrahedral complexes, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of Co_0.4Cu_0.6 Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles was investigated using methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under visible light irradiation. The degradation rate (93.39% and 83.15%), regression correlation coefficient (0.9868 and 0.9737) and rate constant (0.04286 and 0.03203 rate·min⁻¹) were calculated for MB and MO, respectively. Mechanisms for the formation and photocatalytic activity of Cu-substituted plant-extracted cobalt ferrite were discussed. The Co_0.4Cu_0.6 Fe₂O₄ nanoferrite was found to be an efficient photocatalyst, and can be exploited for wastewater treatment applications for MB/MO elimination.