Influence of Mn and Yb on Structural, Optical, Magnetic Properties, Photocatalytic and Biological Activity of Cobalt Nanoferrites Synthesized by Citrate Gel Method

The citrate gel method was used to prepare nanostructured ferrites having composition Co1-yMnyYbxFe2-xO4 (x = y = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1) nanoferrites and investigated their structural, magnetic, catalytic and antibacterial activities. A cubic spinel structure with crystallite diameters between 16.77 nm to 34.84 nm was established by X-ray diffraction (XRD), while granular morphology and elemental composition were disclosed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Molecular vibrations were described by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, which verified the production of spinel structures. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) revealed that doping doses caused considerable changes in magnetic anisotropy by varying magnetic characteristics like coercivity and saturation magnetization. Methylene blue and rhodamine blue dyes were used to investigate the photocatalytic activity of these ferrites and YMN-5 showed the best degradation efficiency. Moreover with optimal doping, the antimicrobial activity against a variety of pathogens showed increased efficiency. These results demonstrate the potentiality of Yb-doped Mn-Co ferrites in the biomedical applications and environmental remediation.