Characterization and photocatalytic application of Ce4+, Co2+, Mn2+ and Ni2+ doped Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles obtained by the co-precipitation method

In this work, Ce4+, Co2+, Mn2+ and Ni2+ doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles were obtained by the co-precipitation method at 70 °C. The effects of the metal cations in the Fe3O4 lattice were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and UV–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. Magnetic properties were estimated by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature and the electrical properties are studied through I–V curves. The photocatalytic properties were studied by the discoloration of the methylene blue (MB) dye. The reduction in the intensity of the diffraction peaks, followed by their enlargement, indicate that doping reduces the crystallite size of Fe3O4. Doping provided the reduction of the remaining magnetization, as the saturation magnetization increases, not being reached with 17 kOe. The electrical results indicate that only cobalt reduces the resistivity of Fe3O4, as manganese is the most increasing doping. Photocatalytic tests indicate that the defects generated by doping increase the photocatalytic activity of Fe3O4, being more expressive through doping with cerium.