The effect of particle size and shape on the magnetic and adsorption properties of erbium iron garnets as industrial wastewater treatment filter materials

Introduction. The water resources of our planet contain large amounts of pollutants in the form of chemicals such as heavy metals and dyes, which pose a serious threat to the environment and public health. The reason for their presence in the water is industrial wastewater that has not been properly treated. Solving the problem of pollution, which causes a lack of fresh water, requires the development of new materials for purification filters and improvement of existing cleaning methods. Materials and methods. The use of scanning electron and atomic force microscopy made it possible to study the shapes and sizes of particles that make up the microstructure of Er3 Fe5 O12 powders. Confirmation and control of the elemental and chemical composition of the study objects was carried out using X-ray phase analysis and Raman spectroscopy. The magnetic and adsorption properties of the presented samples have been studied and analyzed. The effect of particle sizes on the magnetic properties of Er3 Fe5 O12 powders is analyzed. Results. Control and visualization of the characteristic features of the powder microstructure showed particles with clearly defined faces with horizontal dimensions from 10 to 15 microns and a height of 5 microns of compressed powder. The height of the agglomerates reaches 5 microns. The rectangular shape of the particles is clearly visible (they are elongated to one side in the horizontal direction). The chemical composition of the study objects was qualitatively confirmed and recorded by X-ray diffraction and RAMAN methods. Saturation magnetization (Ms) values of Er3 Fe5 O12 powders are 78 emu/g. The working time for filtration of contaminated wastewater with dye is the first 20 minutes, then it is necessary to regenerate the powder for further use, and dispose of the filtered dye waste. Discussion. A detailed and in-depth study of the microstructure characteristics made it possible to analyze the correlation between the magnetic parameters of the studied powders and their structural inhomogeneities. Materials with characteristics acceptable for industrial applications can be obtained only by directional formation of a specific micro/nanostructure of magnetic powders. Conclusion. In the course of the research, the microstructure and elemental composition, as well as magnetic hysteresis loops and the absorption capacity of powders of rare-earth ferrites, erbium garnets, were studied. The research results obtained at the end of the work make it possible to solve a number of problems that arise in the design of various devices of modern microelectronics; through scientifically based recommendations for the synthesis of powder structures with optimal values of coercive force, residual magnetization, magnetic effects and absorbency. Suggestions for practical applications and directions for future research. The prospect of using the studied materials as filters for cleaning industrial wastewater is shown.