Synthesis Characterization and Applications of Divalent Metal ions Doped Nickel Ferrites

Abstract

Environmental pollution, especially water pollution is one of the major threats to living organisms. Industrialization, population explosion, deforestation, e-waste, use of fertilizers and pesticides, and radio-active wastes are the main reasons behind water pollution. Discharge of industrial effluents i.e organic (dyes) as well as inorganic (heavy metals) to water bodies without proper treatments, eventually pollutes water bodies, causing harmful effects on the health of animals and aquatic life. For the efficient removal of these effluents from water bodies, there is a great need to synthesize such materials which are economical i.e. can be used again and again, and easy to collect after the operation. In this regard, nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles (NPs) and divalent metal ion doped nickel ferrite NPs (Ni1-xMxFe2O4, M= Mg, Ca, Zn, and Mn) were synthesized using co-precipitation method. The co-precipitation method was quite more advantageous to other methods due to its simplicity, high yield, economic, high product purity, and the lack of necessity to use organic solvents. The synthesized NPs were characterized using XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDX, XPS, BET, and UV-Visible spectroscopic and analytic techniques. The prepared samples were used as a photocatalyst to remove harmful organic dyes (Methylene blue) from wastewater under the irradiations of sunlight. The NPs were also used as adsorbents to remove heavy metals (Pb(II) and Cd(II)) from wastewater via an adsorption-desorption mechanism. The isothermal studies were performed using Langmuir and Freundlich models. The nonlinear pseudo-first-order and second-order models were utilized to conduct the kinetics studies of synthesized nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity of synthesized NPs was tested against gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) using the well diffusion method.