MAGNETIC AND PHOTOCATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF SAMARIUM DOPED STRONTIUM HEXAFERRITES SYNTHESIZED BY AUTO-COMBUSTION METHOD

In this study, samarium-doped strontium hexaferrites SrFe12-xSmxO19 (x=0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.09) SmSrHF’s were synthesised by the auto-combustion method, assisted by urea as a fuel. The microstructural properties of SmSrHF’s were characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV-Visible, VSM, SEM, and EDAX. The XRD spectral data indicate a crystalline nature with a crystal size ranging from 30-40 nm, which matches with standard JCPDS card number 24- 1207. The M-H curve showed the saturation magnetization (Ms) in the range 36.05-40.31 emu/g and remanence (Mr) 20.13-22.61 emu/g, which increases as the substitution of samarium ions increases. VSM investigated the hard magnetisation and permanent magnet. The energy band gap determined was around 2.5 eV. The photodegradation ability of synthesized SmSrHFs on different dyes was examined in the presence of sunlight. 4-nitroaniline dye undergoes effective photocatalytic degradation when compared to other tested dyes. SmSrHF acts as a good photocatalyst with easy recyclization when compared to metal oxide NPs.