Synthesis and comparative action by Na and K-doped CuFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles for multifaceted functional applications

In the present study, Na- and K-doped CuFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized at varying copper and iron concentrations. The synthesized NPs were characterized for crystalline, structural and morphological, elemental composition, and optical properties by using XRD, SEM/TEM, EDX, and UV-Vis spectroscopy methods, respectively. XRD shows that the crystallite size of Na-doped CuFe2O4 (Na-CuFe2O4) is between 16 to 16.32 nm while that of K-doped CuFe2O4 (K-CuFe2O4) is between 32 to 34.6 nm. The SEM and TEM analyses represent the variable morphology of the doped NPs. However, the SEM-EDS confirm the doping of Na and K, along with their elemental composition. The UV-Vis analysis shows that the band gap lies between 1.40–1.49 and 1.19–1.44 eV for Na-CuFe2O4 NPs and K-CuFe2O4 NPs, respectively. Further, the so synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated for multifunctional applications: antibacterial, antioxidant, and photocatalytic dye degradation.