Dual purpose of samarium- doped barium hexaferrite nanohybrid: Magnetic storage devices and electrochemical dopamine sensing applications

Abstract

In this work, we report a composite comprised of barium hexaferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) (BHF) doped with Samarium (Sm) (BaFe_12-x Sm_xO₁₉) of varying concentrations is prepared using sol gel method for magnetic storage and Dopamine (DP) detection applications. The composite was prepared using d-Galactose by calcination at 800 °C. The XRD physical characterization confirms the material formation with average crystalline grain size 45.6 nm and intensity variation on Sm doping supports the vacancies created. Morphological studies revealed its hexagonal behaviour and on increment of Sm concentration the crystallinity of the composite is increased. Also, the magnetic property analysis reveals that on increase of Sm concentration led to rise in coercivity (H_c) while decrease in both saturation magnetization (M_s) and remanence (M_r), responsible for enhanced conductivity. The defects created more surface area which provides more active sites for efficient interaction with DP. Further, the biocompatible composite exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards DP with linear range 400 nM–110 μM and detection limit as 40 nM. The composite effectively addresses the comprehensive behavior required for sensor applications. Consequently, the dual application of Sm-doped BHF has been successfully validated.