Highly efficient lead removal from water by Nd0.90Ho0.10FeO3 nanoparticles and studying their optical and magnetic properties

Abstract

Ho-doped NdFeO3 was synthesized using the citrate method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) illustrated that Nd0.90Ho0.10FeO3 was crystalline at the nanoscale, with a crystallite size of 39.136 nm. The field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) illustrated the porous nature of Nd0.90Ho0.10FeO3, which increases the active sites to absorb the heavy metals on the sample surface. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) data assures the prepared sample has the chemical formula Nd0.90Ho0.10FeO3. The magnetic properties of Nd0.90Ho0.10FeO3 were determined using the magnetization hysteresis loop and Faraday’s method. Many magnetic parameters of the sample have been discussed, such as the coercive field, the exchange bias (Hex), and the switching field distribution (SFD). Ho-doped NdFeO3 has an antiferromagnetic (AFM) character with an effective magnetic moment of 3.903 B.M. The UV–visible light absorbance of Nd0.90Ho0.10FeO3 is due to the transfer of electrons from the oxygen 2p state to the iron 3d state. Nd0.90Ho0.10FeO3 nanoparticles have an optical direct transition with an energy gap Eg = 1.106 eV. Ho-doped NdFeO3 can adsorb many heavy metals (Co2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Cr6+, and Cd2+) from water. The removal efficiency is high for Pb2+ ions, which equals 72.39%. The Langmuir isotherm mode is the best-fit model for adsorbing the Pb2+ ions from water.