MnCoFeO and encapsulated MnCoFeO/SiO magnetic nanoparticles for efficient Pb removal from aqueous solution.

Sol-gel auto-combustion technique was used to synthesize spinel ferrite nanoparticles of MnCoFeO (MCF). Using the modified Stöber method, these magnetic nanoparticles were encapsulated with silica to form the core/shell MnCoFeO/SiO (MCFS). The phase composition, morphology, particle size, and saturation magnetization of the encapsulated nanoparticles were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution-transition electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM).