Lead ferrite-based heterogeneous photocatalysis: a green approach for rhodamine 6G dye remediation

Improper dye disposal pollutes the environment and endangers living species, underlining the need for more effective pollution detection systems. Therefore, the current study is focused on developing reliable methods for monitoring and controlling dye release in water using lead ferrite nanoparticles (PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs) as the most efficient iron-based material. In the current study, PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs were synthesized by a sol-gel method and characterized by advanced analytical techniques. The obtained finding revealed that the PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs possess a hexagonal structure with a negative surface charged smooth surface. They have an average particle size of 13.8 nm. The photocatalytic activity of PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs for the degradation of rhodamine 6G (RG) dye was evaluated under optimized conditions using UV-visible spectroscopy. The PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs-based developed method showed a degradation efficiency greater than 95% with LOD and LOQ of 0.0043 and 0.014 mg L^-1, respectively. Moreover, the PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NPs as nano-catalysts showed active reusability and ease of separability due to their magnetic nature. The PbFe₁₂O₁₉-NP-based developed method was applied to real water samples and the RG degradation was found to be greater than 90% with an RSD of less than 3.0%.