Nano-sized metal oxides play a crucial role in tackling diverse unresolved problems across engineering, environmental, and biomedical research domains [1]. Among the various metal oxide nanoparticles; magnetic spinel ferrite nanoparticles have captured the interest of many researchers owing to their potential applications in water purification and biomedical research [[1], [2], [3], [4]]. The traditional approaches like centrifugation, free settling, and filtration for the removal of detrimental substances and microbial pathogens from water adhere to prolonged processing time, advanced operational machinery, elevated operational expenses, and the methods for distinct separation to recover nanocatalysts and antimicrobial agents. Furthermore, it is imperative to separate these utilized compounds from the reaction system to enhance efficiency, decrease costs, and prevent secondary pollution. Hence, a swift and cost-effective approach like magnetic separation is highly desirable for achieving rapid and efficient separation [5,6].

Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) are known to be toxic with carcinogenic and mutagenic traits. They constitute significant pollutants in industrial and agricultural wastewater which indirectly inflict human health [[7], [8], [9]]. These factors necessitate the need to develop an effective and efficient strategy for swiftly eliminating nitro compounds from the aqueous system. Literature has showcased the catalytic reduction of NACs in aqueous medium using sodium borohydride which has proven to be non-toxic and efficient with low energy consumption [10,11].

In recent years, the global health community has expressed growing concern over the escalating trend of drug resistance among microbes. Consequently, the search for novel and biocompatible antimicrobial agents to address this issue has gained considerable attention [12]. Moreover, specific strains of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria have the ability to create a protective biofilm layer on medical devices. This biofilm shields the devices from exposure to host immune defenses and antibiotics. Since the metals and alloys utilized in implant fabrication lack inherent antiseptic properties, there is an urgent need to advance surface modifications that enhance antibiofilm potential [13,14].

Nano-sized CuFe2O4 has emerged as an economical magnetic material, characterized by thermal stability, distinctive structural phase transitions, facile recovery from the reaction system using an external magnetic field, and excellent reusability [15,16]. Exploring the role of CuFe2O4 as an antimicrobial agent and for catalyzing the reduction of 4-nitrophenol has garnered immense contribution [17]. So as to boost the catalytic and biological attributes of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles, chemical modifications were effectively done such as tailoring the energy gap, introducing dopants or co-dopants, incorporating structural directing agents, and forming composites. Among these lie notable interest in the fractional substitution of metal ions (particularly rare earths) resulting in novel materials with exceptional properties. It is noteworthy to mention the introduction of Y3+ and Sm3+ ions through substitution significantly enhances the catalytic and antimicrobial performance of the host material [[18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26]].

Samarium has acquired recognition in recent years owing to its catalytic activity, biological safety, antibacterial attributes, and antitumor potential [[27], [28], [29]]. Mandal et al. and Wang et al. reported the substitution of Sm3+ resulting in an increased number of oxygen vacancies, thereby enhancing catalytic activity [30,31]. Singh et al. and Munawar et al. reported the enhanced catalytic as well as the antibacterial potential of Sm3+ substituted metal oxide [23,32]. Sharma et al. showcased an improvement in catalytic activity through the incorporation of Y3+ ion compared to the pristine CoFe2O4 [33].

Taking this notion into concert, the present work was intended to i) prepare Y3+ and Sm3+ substituted CuFe2O4 by simple co-precipitation method, ii) employ spectroscopic and microscopic techniques for material characterization, and iii) evaluate the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol as well as the antimicrobial, antibiofilm and antioxidant activities of the prepared nanomaterials.