Fabrication and Electrocatalytic Activity of Fe-Cu/C Composites Based on Copper Ferrite Modified with Graphene Oxide and Graphitic Carbon Nitride

Vissurkhanova, Yakha A.; Ivanova, Nina M.; Soboleva, Yelena A.; Muldakhmetov, Zainulla M.

doi:10.3390/ma19112273

This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication and Electrocatalytic Activity of Fe-Cu/C Composites Based on Copper Ferrite Modified with Graphene Oxide and Graphitic Carbon Nitride

by

Yakha A. Vissurkhanova

^1,2,*

,

Nina M. Ivanova

¹

,

Yelena A. Soboleva

¹

and

Zainulla M. Muldakhmetov

¹

Institute of Organic Synthesis and Coal Chemistry, Karaganda 100000, Kazakhstan

²

Department of Chemistry, Karaganda National Research University Named After Academician Ye. A. Buketov, Karaganda 100024, Kazakhstan

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Materials 2026, 19(11), 2273; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112273

Submission received: 17 April 2026 / Revised: 14 May 2026 / Accepted: 22 May 2026 / Published: 27 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalytic Materials and Their Applications)

Download Versions Notes

Abstract

A facile co-precipitation method was employed to synthesize copper(II) ferrite composites with carbon materials (reduced graphene oxide, graphitic carbon nitride, and their mixture), followed by heat treatment at 700 °C. To obtain Fe-Cu-containing catalysts, copper ferrite composites were electrochemically reduced. Structures, compositions, and morphologies of the composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction techniques, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that graphitic carbon nitride had the strongest effect on the phase composition of copper ferrite. Crystalline phases of reduced copper and iron metals appear in the CuFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ composite during the annealing process, facilitating further complete electrochemical reduction of copper ferrite and shortening its duration. The resulting Fe-Cu/C composites were used as catalysts in the electrohydrogenation of acetophenone as a model compound. The activation of the cathode with Fe-Cu/C catalysts increases the rate of acetophenone hydrogenation and leads to the selective formation of a single product, 1-phenylethanol, in high yields.

Keywords: copper ferrite; graphene oxide; graphitic carbon nitride; electrochemical reduction; Fe-Cu/C composites‒catalysts; electrocatalytic hydrogenation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Vissurkhanova, Y.A.; Ivanova, N.M.; Soboleva, Y.A.; Muldakhmetov, Z.M. Fabrication and Electrocatalytic Activity of Fe-Cu/C Composites Based on Copper Ferrite Modified with Graphene Oxide and Graphitic Carbon Nitride. Materials 2026, 19, 2273. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112273

AMA Style

Vissurkhanova YA, Ivanova NM, Soboleva YA, Muldakhmetov ZM. Fabrication and Electrocatalytic Activity of Fe-Cu/C Composites Based on Copper Ferrite Modified with Graphene Oxide and Graphitic Carbon Nitride. Materials. 2026; 19(11):2273. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112273

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vissurkhanova, Yakha A., Nina M. Ivanova, Yelena A. Soboleva, and Zainulla M. Muldakhmetov. 2026. "Fabrication and Electrocatalytic Activity of Fe-Cu/C Composites Based on Copper Ferrite Modified with Graphene Oxide and Graphitic Carbon Nitride" Materials 19, no. 11: 2273. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112273

APA Style

Vissurkhanova, Y. A., Ivanova, N. M., Soboleva, Y. A., & Muldakhmetov, Z. M. (2026). Fabrication and Electrocatalytic Activity of Fe-Cu/C Composites Based on Copper Ferrite Modified with Graphene Oxide and Graphitic Carbon Nitride. Materials, 19(11), 2273. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112273

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Fabrication and Electrocatalytic Activity of Fe-Cu/C Composites Based on Copper Ferrite Modified with Graphene Oxide and Graphitic Carbon Nitride

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI