Facile fabrication and characterization of NiFe2O4/ZnO hybrid nanoparticles

Ferromagnetic NiFe2O4/ZnO hybrid nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by the hydrolysis of zinc acetate in the presence of NiFe2O4 colloidal suspension in water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion under ultrasonic irradiation. The structure and morphology of samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectra and transmission electron microscopy. The microstructure studies revealed that the ZnO nanolayer were deposited on the surface of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles. The magnetic properties of the resulting hybrid nanoparticles were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer. Magnetic measurements showed that the saturation magnetization and coercivity decreased upon nonmagnetic ZnO coating.