La3+ substitution-adjusted magnetic and optical properties with enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability of copper zinc nickel ferrites for wastewater treatment applications

Copper-zinc-nickel (Cu–Zn–Ni) ferrite nanoparticles are used for wastewater treatment technology. However, low degradation efficiency and stability are two main issues that make them unsuitable for actual production needs. In this paper, the citrate-nitrate auto-combustion method was applied for the formation of Cu0.5Zn0.25Ni0.25LaxFe2–xO4; (0≤x≤0.1; step 0.02) (CZNL) nanoferrites. Although the substitution process entails the replacement of a small ion with a larger one, the lattice constant and crystallite size does not exhibit a consistent incremental pattern. This behavior is justified and discussed. The size of all the CZNL ferrite nanoparticles is in the range of 8–12 nm, and the lattice constant is in the range of 8.6230 to 8.4865 nm. The morphological analysis conducted using field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) reveals that the CZNL exhibits agglomerated spherical morphology. The energy dispersive X-ray spectrameter (EDAX) analysis was employed to confirm the elemental composition of CZNL nanoferrites. Since the process entails the substitution of Fe3+ magnetic ions with non-magnetic ions La3+, the magnetic parameters of CZNL nanoferrites show a general decreasing trend as predicted. At 20 K, saturation magnetization Ms shows an overall drop in its values from 59.302 emu/g at x = 0.0–41.295 emu/g at x = 0.1, the smallest value of 37.87 emu/g is recorded at x = 0.06. the highest coercivity (Hc = 125.9 Oe) and remanence (Mr = 13.32 emu/g) are recorded for x = 0.08 and x = 0.04 nanoferrite, respectvely. The band gap of all the CZNL nanoferrites was determined using the Kubelka–Munk function and Tauc plot for direct permitted transitions. La doping modifies the band gap (within 1.86–1.75 eV), increases light absorption, induces efficient e/h separation and charge migration to Cu0.5Zn0.25Ni0.25LaxFe2–xO4 surfaces. The nanoferrite Cu0.5Zn0.25Ni0.25La0.06Fe1.94O4 achieves a degradation efficiency of 97.3% for methylene blue (MB) dye removal after just 60 min. After five recycling processes, the nanocatalyst Cu0.5Zn0.25Ni0.25La0.06Fe1.94O4 is degraded by 95.83%, resulting in a negligible 1.51% decrease in photocatalytic activity efficiency. The new Cu0.5Zn0.25Ni0.25La0.06Fe1.94O4 has exceptional photocatalytic activity and remarkable stability, making it a promising candidate for applications in wastewater treatment.