La3+ substituted Ni0.5 Co0.5 Fe2 O4 nanoferrites: Magnetically separable catalysts for sunlight-driven photo-oxidative degradation of Methylene Blue

Abstract

LaxNi0.5Co0.5Fe2−xO4 nanoparticles (x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, 0.12) were investigated in the current work as Methylene Blue degradation catalysts. Using the citrate-aided sol-gel auto-combustion approach, the nanoferrites with homogenous size distribution were produced. Powder X-ray diffraction was used to analyse the structure of the material. The optical characteristics of ferrite nanoparticles were investigated using diffused UV–visible reflectance spectroscopy. It was noted that when the concentration of La3+ increased, the band gap of produced ferrites shrank. Morphological and compositional studies were performed by FE-SEM and EDX spectra. Surface area was depicted using BET analysis. Raman Spectroscopy was used to estimate the parameters of vibration. Testing has been done on synthesized nanoferrites to see whether they can remove Methylene Blue's concentration in water. In addition, it was examined how La3+ incorporation in Ni0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 nanocomposites resulted in aspects of doping ratio, reaction time and amount of catalyst. The most effective material, La0.06Ni0.5Co0.5Fe1.94O4, achieved a 98.69 per cent efficiency in 140 min. Due to three positive characteristics, including high recycling (up to five cycles), stability, and simplicity of separation using an external magnet, toxic dyes in actual wastewaters can be photodegraded in sunlight using La3+ substituted Ni0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 nanoferrites as an efficient and competitive catalyst.