Effect of Calcination Temperature on the Optical and Magnetic Properties of NiFe2O4- KFeO2 Nanocomposite Films Synthesized via WOSW Sol-Gel Route for Opto-Magnetic Applications

Abstract

NiFe2O4- KFeO2 nanocomposite thin films on glass and silicon substrates was synthesized via a without surfactant and water (WOSW) sol-gel route, calcined at 300 °C, 400 °C, and 600 °C. The structural, optical, and magnetic properties of the films were characterized. The obtained X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate the crystallite size dependence on the calcination temperature. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the nanomagnetic particles were regularly grown and spherical in shape. The particle nano size and surface area increased with an increase in the calcination of NiFe2O4- KFeO2 nanocomposite magnetic films. The formation of the spinel structure of the film was strengthened using Fourier transform infrared and XRD results. The optical parameters of the nanomagnetic films were calculated from the measured transmittance and reflectance. The variation of calculated parameters with the variation of wavelength or the energy was discussed. The effect of calcination temperature on the optical parameters was also studied. The saturation magnetization increased from 15.2 to 32.31 emu g−1 as the sintering temperature changes from 300 °C to 600 °C.