Comparative studies on impact of synthesis methods on structural and magnetic properties of magnesium ferrite nanoparticles

Magnesium ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by co-precipitation, sol-gel and solution combustion methods. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), urea and oxalyl dihydrazide (ODH) were used as fuels for the combustion. Various physicochemical techniques viz. X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), BET surface analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were utilized to study the effect of synthetic methodology on the properties of synthesized NPs. Differences in crystallinity, surface area, particle size and magnetic parameters of the ferrite NPs synthesized by different methods were observed. XRD pattern of NPs obtained by sol-gel and combustion methods confirmed phase purity where as in co-precipitation method alpha-Fe2O3 was detected as impurity phase which also resulted in greater value of physical density and lowering of magnetic parameters of the final thermolysis product. TEM micrographs indicated that ferrite NPs are spherical with average diameter of 12-25 nm. Presence of rectangular shaped crystallites of alpha-Fe2O3 was clearly evident in the TEM images of the NPs synthesized by co-precipitation method.