Size and crystallinity-dependent magnetic properties of copper ferrite nano-particles

Copper ferrite nano-crystals were synthesized by a combustion route depending upon the glycine–nitrate process and also by ceramic method. In order to investigate the effect of degree of crystallinity and crystallite size of copper ferrite system on its magnetic properties, a series of Cu-ferrite samples with different degrees of crystallinity and crystallite size were produced by varying the preparation temperatures via changing the ratio between the glycine and nitrates. The samples were characterized by infrared radiation (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), transmission electron micrograph (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. The IR and XRD patterns confirm the single-phase spinel structure for the synthesized materials. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed needle-like tubular nanostructures containing polygon particles. VSM investigations showed that the saturation magnetization of the Cu-ferrite possessed a linear relationship with both crystallinity and crystallite size.