Structural and elastic properties of tetragonal nano-structured copper ferrite

Abstract

Abstract The surge of interest in ferrimagnetic materials over the years has been driven by their fascinating multifunctional properties. The elastic properties of these materials are a subject of much interest and vital importance due to their wide range of technological and industrial applications. In the present work, the structural and elastic properties of tetragonal copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles synthesized by a citrate assisted sol-gel auto combustion technique have been investigated. The nanocrystalline powder of copper ferrite was characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and UV–Visible spectroscopic techniques. The X-ray diffraction pattern revealed pure spinel structure of copper ferrite nanoparticles with Jahn–Teller tetragonal distortion. The band gap of copper ferrite nanoparticles was found to be 3.14 ± 0.03 eV using the diffuse reflectance spectra. The values of elastic moduli (Young’s modulus (E) = 186.3 ± 0.5 GPa, bulk modulus (B) = 124.1 ± 0.3 GPa, and rigidity modulus (G) = 74.4 ± 0.2 GPa) and Debye temperature (θ D = 500.5 ± 0.5 K) suggest that the synthesized nano-structured copper ferrite is a promising candidate for high temperature and high pressure applications.