Structural and photocatalytic properties of new rare earth La3+ substituted MnFe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles

A multipurpose, environment-friendly, and effective catalyst for control of environmental contaminants is an enduring interest in recent years. In the present study, lanthanum substituted spinel ferrite (LaxMnFe2-xO4) nanoparticles were synthesized using an eco-friendly, low cost-effective reverse-micelle synthesis strategy. Thermal analysis was done to annualize the annealing temperature of prepared precipitates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study revealed the well-defined cubic spinel structure of LaxMnFe2-xO4 with the presence of a very minute secondary phase by the introduction of La3+ ion. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study confirmed the M - O metal-oxygen bond stretching at tetrahedral and octahedral sites. Surface morphology analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed the narrow size distribution having nanoparticles size of nearly 60 nm. From the bandgap study, an enhanced redshift of 2.40 eV directed its semiconductor photocatalysis behavior. The degradation efficiency of pristine MnFe2O4 and La3+ ion substituted MnFe2O4 material was investigated using a contaminant crystal violet dye. Higher degradation efficiency, kinetic investigation smart degradation mechanism, and simple recovery suggested that the newly designed La3+ ion substituted MnFe2O4 photocatalytic material is best for environmental remediation.