Neodymium-doped copper ferrite: auto-combustion synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic properties

Neodymium doped copper ferrite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by via a sol–gel auto combustion method with the aid of copper (II) nitrate, iron (III) nitrate, neodymium (III) nitrate and starch without adding external surfactant. Moreover, starch plays role as capping agent, reductant agent, and natural template in the synthesis CuFe2−xNdxO4 nanoparticles. The as-synthesized CuFe2−xNdxO4 nanoparticles were characterized by means of several techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The magnetic properties of as-prepared CuFe2−xNdxO4 nanoparticles were also investigated with vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). To evaluate the photocatalyst properties of nanocrystalline CuFe2−xNdxO4, the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) under ultraviolet light irradiation was carried out.