One-pot solvothermal synthesis and performance of mesoporous magnetic ferrite MFe2O4 nanospheres

• Solvothermal synthesis of mesoporous ferrite microspheres is reported.
• Its structural, morphological, magnetic behavior is studied.
• The surfactant, reaction temperature and time are playing crucial role in size and magnetic properties of the microspheres.
• TEM observations confirmed the spherical morphology of the mesoporous ferrites.
• Magnetization values were in the order of MnF2O4 > CoF2O4 > NiF2O4 > ZnF2O4.

A series of metal ferrite mesoporous MFe2O4 (M = Mn, Co, and Ni) nanospheres with an average diameter of about 100–300 nm were synthesized through a one-pot template-free solvothermal method in ethylene glycol (EG) solution. The effect of reaction parameters on products was characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, physical property measurement system, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and volumetric nitrogen adsorption. The XRD patterns indicate that all the samples were formed in single phase spinel structure. By changing Co2+ to different cations, MnFe2O4, NiFe2O4, and ZnFe2O4 with different magnetic properties could be obtained. The mesoporous MnFe2O4 with a large surface area of 140.8 m2/g and an average pore size of 12.6 nm were obtained. Furthermore, magnetic properties of M-ferrite nanospheres could be tuned by changing substituted metal cations. The possible growth mechanism of mesoporous nanospheres was discussed on the basis of the investigation of reaction parameters.

Formation of mesoporous CoFe2O4 nanospheres.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide