Synthesis of Mn-Zn ferrite nanoparticles by the coupling effect of ultrasonic irradiation and mechanical forces

Mn1−xZnxFe2O4 (x = 0.2, 0.5, 0.8) nanoparticles with a mean size of about 20 nm were synthesized using a mechanochemistry approach, which combined ultrasonic irradiation and ball milling processing. Experimental results showed that no post-calcination was required for the synthesis of manganese-zinc ferrite nanoparticles with perfect crystalline lattice and excellent magnetic properties. In order to investigate the coupling effect of ultrasonic irradiation and mechanical forces, several comparative experiments were carried out including ball milling with ultrasonic irradiation, ball milling without ultrasonic irradiation, and ultrasonic irradiation without ball milling. The relative content of OH radicals in the aqueous solution was tested and compared at different times during these processes. Results indicated that simultaneous operation of ultrasonic wave and mechanical ball milling significantly accelerated the chemical reaction. In addition, electrochemical methods were used to measure the relative conductivity of the solutions at different times. It can be inferred from the measurements that the solution reactivity was the highest during the ultrasonic wave-assisted ball milling process.