Investigating morphological, optical and magnetic properties of blended novel ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite

Abstract

Metal oxide nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles are combined to create magnetic nanocomposites (MNCs) with unique physical, chemical, and biological properties. A new ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 ternary magnetic nanocomposite was created in the current study using a simple and straightforward solid-phase mixing process with subsequent thermal treatment. The structural, optical, and magnetic properties of the ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite were studied using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and Raman spectroscopy. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis was performed to analyze the surface area and average pore diameter of the nanocomposite. Cyclic voltammetry and photoelectrochemical analysis were performed to study the electrical behavior and charge carrier concentrations. According to XRD studies, the ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite is composed of the hexagonal wurtzite of ZnO and the spinel cubic structure of NiFe2O4. FESEM analysis revealed that the crystals of the nanocomposite were nearly spherical, and EDAX elemental mapping indicated that the elements were evenly dispersed across the sample without any impurities. The average diameter of the ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite obtained from the TEM images was nearly 50.65 nm. The specific surface area and average pore diameter of the ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite were 13.58 m2/g and 4.33 nm, respectively, according to BET analysis. CV analysis revealed a sharp increase in the specific capacitance of the ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite. The specific capacitances of the 1 M NaOH electrolyte, ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite were 55.7302 F/g, 53.947 F/g, and 87.229 F/g, respectively, at a 0.05 V/s scan rate. With a coercive field (Hc) of 167 Oe, remnant magnetization (Mr) of 0.73 emu/g, and saturation magnetization (Ms) of 6.58 emu/g, the blended magnetic nanocomposite ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at ambient temperature. Using an external permanent magnet, the ZnO-Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite may be extracted from the reaction mixture, indicating its probable environmental and biomedical application.