Multifunctional cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with optimized cobalt doping for enhanced photo-Fenton catalysis, energy storage, and antifungal applications

Designing cost-effective, eco-friendly, and high-performance nanomaterials remains crucial for advancing next-generation technologies in environmental remediation, energy conversion, and pathogen control. Here, we report the glucose-assisted synthesis of cobalt ferrite (CoFe) nanocomposites (NCs) with tunable Co concentrations (0.025-0.15 M), and utilized for multifunctional applications. XRD confirmed the phase-pure cubic spinel ferrite, and FESEM showed a morphological transition from irregular aggregates to well-defined hexagonal shapes, at the optimal dopant concentration. Among the four batches, CoFe-3 (0.1 M Co) exhibited the highest surface area (74.98 m²/g) with the pore size (16.17 nm), contributing to versatility. CoFe-3 achieved 91.44% efficiency for crystal violet (CV) degradation within 40 min under photo-Fenton conditions and retained 81.73% efficiency after five cycles. Electrochemical studies displayed a high specific capacitance of 614 F/g at 1 A/g with stable cycling over 3000 GCD cycles, indicating battery-type behaviour with promising energy (15.04 Wh/kg) and power densities (217.16 W/kg). Moreover, CoFe-3 displayed significant antifungal activity against Fusarium solani, inducing morphological deformities in hyphae. These results highlight the potential of glucose-engineered CoFe NCs as robust materials for environmental remediation, energy storage, and antifungal applications.