Structural and Magnetic properties of Cobalt Ferrite (CoFe2O4) Nanoparticles by Sol-Gel Technique using Yeast

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to synthesize cobalt ferrite nanoparticles by sol-gel technique using yeast. The source culture is prepared using yeast, carbon and nitrogen. Three samples are prepared by mixing the source culture with ferric nitrate (0.2 M) and cobalt nitrate (0.15, 0.2, 0.25M) and stirred for suitable duration to get the gel. The final product is heated at 600°C to get the cobalt ferrite nanopowder. Structural analysis reveals the cubic phase of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with the peaks corresponding to the plane (220), (311), (400), (511) and (440) matches with the PDF data. The peaks are sharp showing the crystalline nature of the prepared samples. From the microstructural parameters calculated for the prominent peak (311) shows the average crystallite size is 44 nm. The lattice constant is found to be around 8.350 Å which is close to the bulk value of cobalt ferrite nanoparticle (8.373Å). The calculated X-ray density is more than their bulk counterpart and is attributed to the formation of pores throughout the synthesis method. FTIR analysis shows the existence of functional groups within the prepared sample. EDAX analysis shows the rise in the atomic weight percentage of cobalt with increase in weight proportion of cobalt nitrate. SEM analysis shows the surface morphology of the prepared sample and the ferromagnetic behavior of the cobalt ferrite nanoparticle is observed by VSM studies.