Impact of calcination temperature on the structural, surface area, and magnetic properties of NiFe2O4/MnFe2O4/CeO2 ternary nanocomposites

Abstract

This study focuses on the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of ternary NiFe₂O₄/MnFe₂O₄/CeO₂ nanocomposites. A suite of analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and magnetic property measurements, were employed to investigate the structural, morphological, compositional, surface, and magnetic properties of these materials. A systematic approach was implemented for the synthesis of the nanocomposites. FE-SEM analysis revealed the morphology and size distribution of the nanoparticles, while XRD confirmed the formation of the cubic phase within the nanocomposites. An increase in calcination temperature (from 600 to 800 °C) resulted in an increase in average particle size (11, 12 and 22 nm). FTIR and XPS techniques were utilized to study the chemical bonding and surface composition, respectively. BET analysis demonstrated a substantial surface area, however, the surface area decreased with increasing calcination temperature (37.17, 13.7, and 4.16 m²/g). Magnetic property measurements revealed an enhancement in magnetic behavior (2.88, 6.65, and 10. 54 emu/g) with increasing calcination temperature, indicating potential applications in biomedical and magnetic storage fields. All in all, this work highlights the potential of NiFe₂O₄/MnFe₂O₄/CeO₂ ternary nanocomposites for a variety of technological applications by illuminating their complex characterization.