Magnetic micro scavengers: highly porous Ni1-xCoxFe2O4 microcubes for efficient disintegration of nitrophenol

The fabrication of functional materials in patterned morphology is focused to obtain remarkable physiognomies of the materials for certain applications. Instead of randomly distributed agglomerated nanoparticles, it is highly desirable to arrange them in a motif, as this directed formation of nanomaterials can have a substantial influence on their performance and activity in various applications. With this perspective, MOF derived hollow cubes of nickel cobalt ferrites have been synthesized via a facile process using sacrificial templates at 600 degrees C. Microcubes, composed of tiny grains in a size range from 10 nm +/- 2 nm were obtained in pure form as a polycrystalline material. The high specific surface area (1185 m(2) g(-1)) and mesoporous nature of hollow cubic ferrites were found to be excellent adsorbents for nitrophenol at room temperature. The equilibrium quantity of adsorbed nitrophenol was calculated as 47 mg g(-1) ferrite, accomplished in 7 min. Their large surface area, mesopores and hollow nature, in combination with controlled size distribution of grains, have enabled this remarkable utilization of nanoferrites for removal of nitrophenol from water.