Novel multiferroic nanoparticles Sm1−xHoxFeO3 as a heavy metal Cr6+ ion removal from water

Abstract Novel multiferroic nanoparticles Sm 1− x Ho x FeO 3 have been prepared using a simple citrate auto-combustion method. According to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, the multiferroic samples had an orthorhombic single phase structure. The field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) illustrated that the nanoparticles possessed a cotton-like morphology with a porous nature. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) demonstrates the antiferromagnetic (AFM) behavior of the samples. The maximum magnetization ( M m ) of Sm 0.95 Ho 0.05 FeO 3 is five times greater than that of SmFeO 3 . The ferroelectricity of Sm 1− x Ho x FeO 3 has Г 2 -spin structure. The antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin canting has a great effect on both the magnetization and the ferroelectricity of the investigated perovskites. Sm 1− x Ho x FeO 3 ; 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.10 samples are concluded to be novel single-phase multiferroic materials capable of adsorbing toxic chromium (Cr 6+ ) metal ions from water. A hydrogen potential of pH 6 is the best condition for precipitating chromium ions. The adsorption of Cr 6+ ions on Sm 1− x Ho x FeO 3 was studied using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models.