INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND pH ON THE FORMATION OF METAL OXIDE NANOPHASE IN THE GRAPHENE/Fe₃O₄/CuO NANOCOMPOSITE COMBUSTION CATALYST SYSTEM SYNTHESIZED VIA SONOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUE

Abstract

This study investigates the synthesis process of Graphene/Fe₃O₄/CuO nanocomposite via the coprecipitation method assisted by ultrasonic waves. The effects of reaction temperature and pH on the formation of magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) and copper oxide (CuO) in the Graphene-based nanocomposite were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology, composition, and porosity of the synthesized Graphene/Fe₃O₄/CuO nanocomposite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The synthesized samples were investigated with respect to variations in pH, reaction temperature, and NaOH addition rate. The optimized sample exhibited crystallite and particle sizes of Fe 3 O 4 and CuO below 20nm, with a specific surface area of 71.1m²/g and an average pore diameter of 2.9nm, indicating strong potential as a combustion catalyst for composite propellants.