Synthesis and effect on the surface morphology & magnetic properties of ferrimagnetic nanoparticles by different wet chemical synthesis methods

Ferrimagnetic nanoparticles (FMNPs) were synthesized using different wet chemical synthesis methods. In particular, the chemical co-precipitation method (CCPM), sol-gel method (SGM), hydrothermal method (HM), and sonochemical method (SM) were used for the preparation of FMNPs. The work aims to explore the influence of different synthesis methods on the structural and magnetic properties of synthesized FMNPs. The physical morphology, chemical composition, and magnetic properties of the FMNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Zeta potential, particle size distribution, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The experimentations observed that the FMNPs obtained through CCPM exhibited a stable cubical shape of 11.80 nm. The chemical co-precipitation method was also more cost-effective and time-efficient than the other wet-chemical methods. On the other hand, FMNP prepared by the hydrothermal method showed higher magnetic strengths of 89.34 emu/g with a suitable particle size distribution of −24.43 mV. The highest synthesis time was required for the sol-gel method, followed by the hydrothermal, sonochemical, and co-precipitation methods.