Preparation of ZnxCo1−xFe2O4 nanoparticles by microwave-assisted ball milling

In this paper, ZnxCo1−xFe2O4 (x=0.2, 0.5 and 0.8) nanoferrite with cubic spinel structure have been prepared by microwave-assisted ball milling and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and fluorescence measurements. The XRD results reveal that the formation of single-phase cubic spinel structure fully completed after 55 h. The TEM micrograph confirms that the average size of nanoparticles is about 10–15 nm and the perfect crystalline structure is confirmed by high magnification TEM and electron diffraction pattern. The maximum saturation magnetization of 85.93 emu/g is obtained when x=0.2, which decreases gradually with further increase in Zn ratio. After adding OH sensitive fluorescence indicator, the fluorescence intensity change of the reaction solutions under different experiment conditions is compared to investigate the reaction and formation of Zn–Co ferrite during microwave-assisted ball milling.