Study the multiferroic properties of BiFeO3/Ni0.1Fe2.9O4 for heavy metal removal

Abstract

The import marvel in multiferroic substances is the existence of spontaneous polarization and magnetization which enable these materials meet the needs of technological applications. Multiferroic of BiFeO3 and nickel-doped magnetite was synthesized separately by flash and co-precipitation methods, respectively. The two phases were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) analysis. The dielectric properties of BiFeO3/Ni0.1Fe2.9O4 nanocomposite were studied as a function of temperature as well as frequency. Based on the frequency dependent of ac conductivity results, it indicated that the conduction occurs through tunneling and small polaron hopping. The composite sample shows excellent results for heavy metal (Cr6+) removal from wastewater as the removal efficiency was reached to 75% at PH 6 after 40 min. The adsorption of Cr (VI) on the surface of nanocomposite was occurred through Langmuir isotherm and follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. The goal and novelty of this work were to investigate the structural, morphological and dielectric as well as magnetic properties of multiferroic nanocomposite material (BiFeO3/Ni0.1Fe2.9O4) and test its efficiency for heavy metal removal.