Comparative study between oxide/soft ferrite, oxide/hard ferrite, and soft/hard ferrite nanocomposites: structural, electrical, and magnetic properties

Abstract

Three binary nanocomposites (NCs): (0.5NiO/0.5Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4), (0.5NiO/0.5BaFe12O19), and (0.5Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/0.5BaFe12O19) were prepared using the co-precipitation method followed by the wet ball-milling technique. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the production of NiO and Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 single phases, while the α-Fe2O3 secondary phase appeared in the BaFe12O19 and the 0.5Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/0.5BaFe12O19 nanocomposite. The transmission electron microscopy investigation and the selected area electron diffraction demonstrated the presence of the nanocomposites’ constituent phases. x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy identified the oxidation states found in the prepared samples (Ba2+, Ni2+, Ni3+, Zn2+, Fe3+, and O2−). The bandgap values (Eg) of the nanocomposites are in the range between 2.79 and 3.66 eV, which indicates their semiconductor nature. The DC conductivity experiment confirmed the semiconducting nature of all samples, and the activation energies ( EaH ) and ( EaL ) at high and low-temperature regions, respectively, were calculated from the Arrhenius equation. According to the vibrating sample magnetometer, the NCs exhibited ferromagnetic (FM) as showed by the M-H loops. In the oxide/soft ferrite NC, the dM/dH curve indicated strong exchange coupling interactions, while the hard and the soft magnetic phases in the oxide/hard ferrite and the soft/hard ferrite NCs were weakly exchanged coupled. Significant uses had been found for each of the three nanocomposites according to their constituent phases and properties.