Synthesis and characterization of lead-doped copper ferrite nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles of lead-doped copper ferrite, PbxCu1−xFe2O4, where x = 0.0, 0.1, and 0.2, were synthesized by the combustion method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine crystallographic phases and crystallite sizes. The results showed the presence of trigonal and tetragonal phases for x = 0, with crystallite sizes of 37 nm and 72 nm, respectively, and for x = 0.2, with crystallite sizes of 23 nm and 21 nm, respectively. For x = 0.1, only the trigonal phase was observed, with a crystallite size of 27 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed cubic, hexagonal, and rod-shaped structures for all values of x, indicating a polycrystalline material with various spatial orientations. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) identified the chemical elements present in the samples and Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed the formation of spinel-type ferrite. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) displayed typical ferrimagnetic behavior and the Jahn-Teller effect was observed in all samples.