A synthesis concept for a nanostructured CoFe2O4/BaTiO3 composite: Towards multiferroics

• A synthesis concept for a nanostructured multiferroic composite is presented.
• Mesoporous, ferrimagnetic CoFe2O4 is synthesized by nanocasting.
• BaTiO3 (a ferroelectric compound) is created inside the pores of CoFe2O4.
• The citrate route is applied to confined-space synthesis.

The synthesis of a periodically ordered, nanostructured composite consisting of CoFe2O4 and BaTiO3 is presented. In a first step, mesoporous CoFe2O4 is prepared by the structure replication method (nanocasting) using mesoporous KIT-6 silica as a structural mold. Subsequently, BaTiO3 is created inside the pores of CoFe2O4 by the citrate route, resulting in a well-ordered composite material of both phases. The two components are known for their distinct ferroic properties, namely ferrimagnetism (CoFe2O4) and ferroelectricity (BaTiO3), respectively. Therefore, this proof of synthesis concept offers new perspectives in the fabrication of composite materials with multiferroic properties.

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