Novel Single-Step Combustion Synthesis of Nanocrystalline MgFe2O4 Materials Using Hexamethylenetetramine as a Fuel: Properties and Features

Abstract

In this work, a novel combustion synthesis of nanocrystalline MgFe2O4 materials using hexamethylenetetramine as a fuel is reported. The properties and features of as-prepared MgFe2O4 materials were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, vibrating sample magnetometer, UV-vis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques, and field emission scanning electron microscope. The as-prepared MgFe2O4 materials crystallized in cubic spinel phase with an average crystalline of 26.34 and 21.54 nm for the samples obtained at pH = 1 and 10, respectively. It is evident from the room temperature (300 K) field (±15 kOe) dependence magnetization measurements that the saturation magnetization of the MgFe2O4 materials is 25.86 emu/g and 9.98 emu/g for pH = 1 and 10, respectively. For the as-prepared MgFe2O4 materials, the agglomeration of fine particles is seen through a micro-image under higher magnification. The FT-IR spectra reveal a typical metal–oxygen absorption band at ∼568 cm−1 for the as-prepared MgFe2O4 materials which suggest the intrinsic stretching vibration of the metal (Fe–O) at the tetrahedral site.