Synthesis and properties of spinel ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles by facile co-precipitation route

Ferrite nanoparticles have engaged considerable attention in the recent times owing to their incomparable biological applications and also viability in the scientific and technological areas of research. Nanosized spinel ferrites are the most rivet class of materials, that have significantly modulated the consideration of research humanity due to their exceptional structural, optical and magnetic properties. These properties are catered in ZnFe2O4 which make it an appropriate contender in the field of electronics, areas of applied optics and telecommunication. A plausible and economically viable co-precipitation method has been the center of attention in recent years to synthesize these nanoparticles. The synthesized samples are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction which evidenced the prevalence of sharp diffraction peaks, attributed to its significant crystalline nature and crystallite size has been estimated to be 11.04 nm. TEM micrograph revealed the size and profile of the nanoparticles. The structural characterization clearly reveal their cubic nature and notable crystallinity. The FT-IR measurements carried out in the range of 4000-400 cm−1 elucidate the presence of functional groups. UV-vis spectral analysis (UV-vis) reveals the optical property and hence optical band gap is found out using Kubelka-Munk plot. The PL studies divulge the excitation wavelength, which facets out the recombination of holes and electrons. The room temperature retentivity and coercivity have been estimated using vibrating sample magnetometer as 2.461 emu/g and 720.62 G. Relatively low dielectric loss and elevated resistivity in zinc ferrite system articulate their efficacy for high frequency in device fabrication.