Ferrite Nanocrystals Research Articles

A 3D oxalate‐bridged [CuIIFeII] coordination polymer as molecular precursor for CuFe2O4 spinel—photocatalytic features

AbstractA 3D heterometallic oxalate‐bridged coordination polymer [CuIIFeII2(H2O)(terpy)(C2O4)3]n (terpy = 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine) (1) was investigated both as photocatalyst for the organic dye removal and as a single‐source precursor for the preparation of the copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanocrystals by thermal processing. The dual functionality of 1 was supported by the degradation of aqueous solutions of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) solutions under visible (Vis) and ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, powder X‐ray diffraction data collection at room temperature, and the optical and scanning electron microscopy analyses. A close inspection of the X‐ray diffraction patterns unveiled qualitative and quantitative information on the phase composition obtained after the single‐source molecular precursor route to spinel oxide. By optimizing the temperature levels and setting the controlled heating rate at 6 h of holding time, the phase composition of thermal processing of 1 was evaluated—thermal treatment of 1 at 950°C for 6 h and a heating/cooling rate of 10°C min−1 resulted in the formation of solely tetragonal spinel phase of CuFe2O4, whereas the formation of both tetragonal and cubic CuFe2O4 phases was observed at 950°C by the heating rate of 30°C min−1. To obtain the high‐temperature cubic CuFe2O4 oxide, compound 1 was heated and then quenched at 925°C, which led to the formation of the cubic spinel ferrite as the main crystalline oxide phase. Moreover, the photocatalytic properties of the t‐CuFe2O4 spinel were investigated under the same conditions as for 1. The optical bandgap energies were estimated from UV–Vis absorption spectra for both metal oxide and precursor powder.

Magnetic spinel manganese ferrite nanocrystal carbon nanotube thin mats with improved electromagnetic shielding performance

Magnetic spinel manganese ferrite nanocrystal carbon nanotube thin mats with improved electromagnetic shielding performance

Magnetic Nanosorbents Based on Bentonite and CoFe2O4 Spinel

New magnetic nanocomposite sorbents were obtained by doping natural bentonite with nanosized CoFe2O4 spinel (10 and 20 wt.%). Nanocrystals of cobalt ferrite were synthesized by a citrate burning method. The structure and physical-chemical properties of the composites were characterized by XRD, XRF, TEM, BET, FTIR and Faraday balance magnetometry. During the formation of nanocomposites, 10–30 nm particles of cobalt ferrite occupied mainly the interparticle space of Fe-aluminosilicate that significantly changed the particle morphology and composite porosity, but at the same time retained the structure of the 2:1 smectite layer. A combination of two functional properties of composites, adsorption and magnetism has been found. The adsorption capacity of magnetic nanosorbents exceeded this parameter for bentonite and spinel. Despite the decrease in the adsorption volume, pore size and specific surface area of the composite material relative to bentonite, the sorption activity of the composite increases by 12%, which indicated the influence of the magnetic component on the sorption process. FTIR data confirmed the mechanism of formaldehyde sorption by the composite sorbent. The production of a magnetic nanosorbent opens up new possibilities for controlling the sorption processes and makes it possible to selectively separate the sorbent from the adsorption medium by the action of a magnetic field.

Enhanced Fenton-like catalysis for pollutants removal via MOF-derived CoxFe3-xO4 membrane: Oxygen vacancy-mediated mechanism.

Traditional batch configuration is not sustainable due to catalyst leaching and ineffective recovery. Herein, a novel membrane-based catalyst with oxygen vacancies is developed, which assembled metal-organic-framework cobalt ferrite nanocrystals (MOF-d CoxFe3-xO4) on polyvinylidene fluoride membrane to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for catalytic degradation of emerging pollutants. MOF-d CoxFe3-xO4 are synthesized by one-step pyrolysis using Co/Fe bimetallic organic frameworks (CoxFe3-x bi-MOF) with tunable cobalt content as a template (x/3-x represented the molar ratio of Co and Fe in MOF). Intriguingly, MOF-d Co1.75Fe1.25O4 membrane exhibits excellent PMS activation efficiency as indicated by 95.12% removal of the probe chemical (bisphenol A) at 0.5mM PMS (∼100Lm-2h-1at the loading of 10mg), which is significantly higher than the traditional Co1.75Fe1.25O4 suspension system (34.16%). Experimental results show that the membrane has excellent anti-interference ability to anions and dissolved organic matter, and can effectively degrade a variety of emerging pollutants, and its performance is not inhibited by the change of solution pH (3-9) or the long-term (20h) continuous flow operation. EPR and quenching experiments show that catalytic degradation is the result of the synergistic effect of radicals and non-radicals. The oxygen vacancy-mediated mechanism can explain the formation of active substances, and the formation of 1O2 plays an important role in the degradation of bisphenol A. This study provides a membrane-based strategy for effective and sustainable removal of emerging pollutants.

Controlling Cation Distribution and Morphology in Colloidal Zinc Ferrite Nanocrystals.

This paper describes the first synthetic method to achieve independent control over both the cation distribution (quantified by the inversion parameter x) and size of colloidal ZnFe2O4 nanocrystals. Use of a heterobimetallic triangular complex of formula ZnFe2(μ3-O)(μ2-O2CCF3)6(H2O)3 as a single-source precursor, solvothermal reaction conditions, absence of hydroxyl groups from the reaction solvent, and the presence of oleylamine are required to achieve well-defined, crystalline, and monodisperse ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles. The size of the ZnFe2O4 nanocrystals increases as the ratio of oleic acid and oleylamine ligands to precursor increases. The inversion parameter increases with increasing solubility of the precursor in the reaction solvent, with the presence of oleic acid in the reaction mixture, and with decreasing reaction temperature. These results are consistent with a mechanism in which ligand exchange between oleic acid and carboxylate ligands bound to the precursor complex influences the degree to which the reaction produces a kinetically trapped or thermodynamically stable cation distribution. Importantly, these results indicate that preservation of the triangular Zn–O–Fe2 core structure of the precursor in the reactive monomer species is crucial to the production of a phase-pure ZnFe2O4 product and to the ability to tune the cation distribution. Overall, these results demonstrate the advantages of using a single-source precursor and solvothermal reaction conditions to achieve synthetic control over the structure of ternary spinel ferrite nanocrystals.

Chiral, Magnetic, and Photosensitive Liquid Crystalline Nanocomposites Based on Multifunctional Nanoparticles and Achiral Liquid Crystals.

Nanoparticles serving as a multifunctional and multiaddressable dopant to modify the properties of liquid crystalline matrices are developed by combining cobalt ferrite nanocrystals with organic ligands featuring a robust photosensitive unit and a source of chirality from the natural pool. These nanoparticles provide a stable nanocomposite when dispersed in achiral liquid crystals, giving rise to chiral supramolecular structures that can respond to UV-light illumination, and, at the same time, the formed nanocomposite possesses strong magnetic response. We report on a nanocomposite that shows three additional functionalities (chirality and responsiveness to UV light and magnetic field) upon the introduction of a single dopant into achiral liquid crystals.

Surfactant-assisted (CTAB, PVA, PVP) thermal decomposition synthesis of strontium spinel ferrite nanocrystals for electrochemical sensing of cytostatic drug flutamide

Nanostructured metal oxide (NMO)-based nanocatalysts are highly preferred in electrochemical sensing and other scientific disciplines due to their excellent catalytic or electrocatalytic activities. However, designing a simple and cost-effective NMO facilitator for improved catalytic activity remains a great challenge. As a result, added progress in surface engineering especially in the synthesis and optimization of catalysts is highly preferred. The main objective of the present investigation is to develop a facile, cost-effective, and dynamic catalyst for electrochemical sensing. Strontium ferrite nanocrystals (SF) were prepared using various surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (SF-CTAB), polyvinyl alcohol (SF-PVA), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (SF-PVP) via the thermal decomposition method (TDM) and their effects on structure, morphology, and electro-reduction of flutamide (FLT) were thoroughly investigated. The cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (SF-CTAB) aggravated catalyst exhibited a higher surface area (8.51 m2/g), further demonstrating the higher electrochemical performance toward FLT detection when compared to surfactant-free and other surfactant stabilized catalysts. Importantly, the SF-CTAB catalyst established virtuous parameters such as a broader linear range from 0.016 to 658.51 μM, lowest detection limit (0.007 μM) with the remarkable anti-interference ability. Furthermore, it is notable that the proposed electrode modifier was effectively applied for the determination of FLT in both organic and environmental samples suggesting as an favorable candidate for sensing applications.

Synthesis of Ni doped iron oxide colloidal nanocrystal clusters using poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) templates for efficient recovery of cefixime and methylene blue

The synthesis of a complex hierarchical nanostructure with a definite number density and crystallite/cluster size is very challenging. Here we report a novel strategy to produce spherical magnetic colloidal nanocrystal clusters (Ni-doped iron oxide) of varying sizes using a thermosensitive polymer soft template through a hydrothermal approach. The magnetic colloidal nanocrystal clusters are nucleated in the globular spherical templates formed in the thermosensitive polymer; poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide), above lower critical solution temperature (LCST) where it acts as a nucleating agent in the initial stage and as a capping agent later. When the solution reaches super-saturation during the nucleation stage, the Ni2+, Fe2+ and Fe3+ hydroxides precipitate as ferrites of critical size and get attached to the PNIPAM globule through the coordination of oxygen and nitrogen. It was observed that, after the addition of Ni2+ ions, non-stoichiometric Ni ferrites nanocrystals were formed whereas the hematite phase was formed in the absence of Ni doping. XPS results show the presence of cation vacancies due to oxidation of Ni2+ and Fe2+. We also studied the adsorption/desorption of an anionic cefixime drug, conjugated on nanoclusters, above and below the lower critical solution temperature. The cefixime adsorption studies on the clusters showed that ~70 g/L of the sample is required to obtain a 66 sorption% at 25 °C and 52 sorption% at 45 °C. The percentage of cefixime sorption after the five cycles of regeneration was ~70%. The dye adsorption studies reveal that 15 g/L of the sample showed 99% sorption% of methylene blue at 25 °C and 87% sorption% at 45 °C This approach can be used as a new strategy to achieve controlled recovery of adsorbates (antibiotics and dyes) from aqueous solutions.

Chemically-Controlled Ultrafast Photothermal Response in Plasmonic Nanostructured Assemblies.

Plasmonic nanoparticles are renowned as efficient heaters due to their capability to resonantly absorb and concentrate electromagnetic radiation, trigger excitation of highly energetic (hot) carriers, and locally convert their excess energy into heat via ultrafast nonradiative relaxation processes. Furthermore, in assembly configurations (i.e., suprastructures), collective effects can even enhance the heating performance. Here, we report on the dynamics of photothermal conversion and the related nonlinear optical response from water-soluble nanoeggs consisting of a Au nanocrystal assembly trapped in a water-soluble shell of ferrite nanocrystals (also called colloidosome) of ∼250–300 nm in size. This nanoegg configuration of the plasmonic assembly enables control of the size of the gold suprastructure core by changing the Au concentration in the chemical synthesis. Different metal concentrations are analyzed by means of ultrafast pump–probe spectroscopy and semiclassical modeling of photothermal dynamics from the onset of hot-carrier photogeneration (few picosecond time scale) to the heating of the matrix ligands in the suprastructure core (hundreds of nanoseconds). Results show the possibility to design and tailor the photothermal properties of the nanoeggs by acting on the core size and indicate superior performances (both in terms of peak temperatures and thermalization speed) compared to conventional (unstructured) nanoheaters of comparable size and chemical composition.

Toward a Comprehensive Understanding of Effect of Cation Distribution and M2+ Constituent in Spinel Ferrite Nanocrystals Mfe2o4 (M = Co, Mn, and Ni) on the Electrochemical Response in Sensitive Detection of Chloramphenicol

Toward a Comprehensive Understanding of Effect of Cation Distribution and M2+ Constituent in Spinel Ferrite Nanocrystals Mfe2o4 (M = Co, Mn, and Ni) on the Electrochemical Response in Sensitive Detection of Chloramphenicol

Lattice Strain of Zn-Mn Mixed Ferrite Nanocrystals in a Core-Shell Morpho-Chemical Structure

In this work, the crystalline structure, chemical composition, size, and morphology of core@shell nanoparticles based on Zn-Mn ferrite nanocrystals were investigated. These materials have been proposed as promising candidates for multifunctional applications in biomedicine, catalysis, environmental remediation, among others. Those properties were probed by using several experimental techniques such as Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Selected Area Electron Diffraction. Results show that all synthesized nanoparticles present a single crystalline spinel phase without the appearance of undesirable byproducts. The nanoparticles present a non-stoichiometric Zn-Mn ferrite core, due to a Fe enrichment and a Zn loss with respect to the synthesis medium. The surface treatment of the nanoparticles induces a greater iron enrichment, which occurs at the nanoparticles surface without changing the crystalline structure. Finally, modifications in lattice parameters and strain suggest a contribution of the Mn2+ cations, mainly related to their easy oxidation in the synthesis route, which increases the structural vacancies of Mn-richer ferrites.

Magnetic Study of CuFe2O4-SiO2 Aerogel and Xerogel Nanocomposites.

CuFe2O4 is an example of ferrites whose physico-chemical properties can vary greatly at the nanoscale. Here, sol-gel techniques are used to produce CuFe2O4-SiO2 nanocomposites where copper ferrite nanocrystals are grown within a porous dielectric silica matrix. Nanocomposites in the form of both xerogels and aerogels with variable loadings of copper ferrite (5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt%) were synthesized. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction investigations showed the occurrence of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles with average crystal size ranging from a few nanometers up to around 9 nm, homogeneously distributed within the porous silica matrix, after thermal treatment of the samples at 900 °C. Evidence of some impurities of CuO and α-Fe2O3 was found in the aerogel samples with 10 wt% and 15 wt% loading. DC magnetometry was used to investigate the magnetic properties of these nanocomposites, as a function of the loading of copper ferrite and of the porosity characteristics. All the nanocomposites show a blocking temperature lower than RT and soft magnetic features at low temperature. The observed magnetic parameters are interpreted taking into account the occurrence of size and interaction effects in an ensemble of superparamagnetic nanoparticles distributed in a matrix. These results highlight how aerogel and xerogel matrices give rise to nanocomposites with different magnetic features and how the spatial distribution of the nanophase in the matrices modifies the final magnetic properties with respect to the case of conventional unsupported nanoparticles.

Magnetic NiFe2 O4 Nanoparticles Prepared via Non-Aqueous Microwave-Assisted Synthesis for Application in Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation.

Phase‐pure spinel‐type magnetic nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanocrystals in the size range of 4 to 11 nm were successfully synthesized by a fast and energy‐saving microwave‐assisted approach. Size and accessible surface areas can be tuned precisely by the reaction parameters. Our results highlight the correlation between size, degree of inversion, and magnetic characteristics of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles, which enables fine‐tuning of these parameters for a particular application without changing the elemental composition. Moreover, the application potential of the synthesized powders for the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media was demonstrated, showing that a low degree of inversion is beneficial for the overall performance. The most active sample reaches an overpotential of 380 mV for water oxidation at 10 mA cm−2 and 38.8 mA cm−2 at 1.7 V vs. RHE, combined with a low Tafel slope of 63 mV dec−1.

Application of iron/barium ferrite/carbon-coated iron nanocrystal composites in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been widely used in clinical practice as a first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the current therapeuticeffect of TACE is far from satisfactory and thus requires further improvement. TACE combined with multifunctional magnetic particles may be a promising approach for the treatment of HCC. In this study, we designed a new magnetic drug carrier system consisting of micron-sized iron powder, barium ferrite (BaFe12O19), and carbon-coated iron nanocrystals (CCINs). CCINs possess properties, such as high drug loading and sustained release. BaFe12O19 could attract both CCINs and iron powder to form larger clusters after magnetization. Altogether, the triple therapeutic effects of chemotherapeutic enhancement, embolization, and thermal ablation could be realized herein. Further experiments indicate that the system has a high drug-loading capacity, good controlled-release effect, and no significant cytotoxicity. Under the action of a medium-frequency magnetic induction device, the magnetic induction temperature could reach 43 °C in one min while the maximum temperature of 70.8 °C could be reached in 2.5 h. Overall, this new carrier system displayed excellent antitumor effects in a mouse model. Our findings demonstrate the great application prospects of this system in TACE for HCC.

Site Occupancy, Surface Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Ce3+ Added Ni–Mn–Zn Ferrite Nanocrystals Synthesized Via Sol–Gel Route

Ferrite nanoparticles of Ni[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]Zn[Formula: see text]Fe[Formula: see text]CexO4 ferrite system were produced using sol–gel auto combustion technique. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the single phase cubic spinel structure of the samples with space group Fd-3m. Replacement of Fe[Formula: see text] ions by Ce[Formula: see text] ions increases the lattice parameter 8.4105 Å to 8.4193. Average crystallite size obtained from Scherrer method varies from 21.73[Formula: see text]nm to 22.71[Formula: see text]nm with replacement of Fe[Formula: see text] ions by Ce[Formula: see text] ions. Williamson–Hall and strain-size plot analysis confirms the nanocrystalline nature of the samples and the micro-strain induced in the cubic crystals is of tensile type. Cation distribution suggests that Zn[Formula: see text] ions occupy tetrahedral — A-site while Ni[Formula: see text] ions occupy octahedral — B-site. Majority of the Mn[Formula: see text] ions prefer A-site and majority of the Ce[Formula: see text] ions replace Fe[Formula: see text] ions at octahedral — B-site. High resolution transmission images confirm the homogeneity and nanoparticle nature of the samples. Two main characteristics absorption bands corresponding to spine structure are observed in the Fourier transmission infra-red spectra within the wavenumber range of 350–600[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text]. Stiffness constant, Young’s modulus, rigidity modulus, bulk modulus and Debye temperature were estimated using FTIR data. Debye temperature obtained from the Waldron equation varies from 676[Formula: see text]K to 692[Formula: see text]K with the addition of Ce[Formula: see text] ions. Higher values of elastic moduli are suitable for industrial applications due to increased mechanical strength.

Cation Distribution in Spinel Ferrite Nanocrystals: Characterization, Impact on their Physical Properties, and Opportunities for Synthetic Control.

Metal oxide materials that adopt the spinel crystal structure, such as metal ferrites (MFe2O4), present tetrahedral (A) and octahedral [B] sublattice sites surrounded by oxygen anions that provide a relatively weak crystal-field splitting. The formula of a metal ferrite material is most precisely described as (M1-xFex)[MxFe2-x]O4, where the parentheses and square brackets denote the tetrahedral and octahedral sites, respectively, and x is the inversion parameter quantifying the distribution of M2+ and Fe3+ cations among these sites. The electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of spinel ferrites all depend on the magnitude of x, which, in turn, depends on the relative sizes of the cations, their charge, and the relative crystal-field stabilization afforded by tetrahedral or octahedral coordination. Compared to bulk spinel ferrites, the large surface-area-to-volume ratio of spinel ferrite nanocrystals provides additional structural degrees of freedom that enable access to a broader range of x values. Achieving synthetic control over the degree of inversion in addition to the size and shape is critical to tuning the properties of spinel ferrite nanocrystals. In this Forum Article, we review physical inorganic methods used to quantify x in spinel ferrite nanocrystals, describe how the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of these nanocrystals depend on x, and discuss emerging strategies for achieving synthetic control over this parameter.

Effect of cobalt doping on structural parameters, cation distribution and magnetic properties of nickel ferrite nanocrystals

Here, thermal heat treatment method has been used for the synthesis of PVP capped nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) and cobalt doped nickel (Ni0.5Co0.5Fe2O4) spinel ferrite nanocrystals with the aim of investigating the effect of Co doping on the structural and magnetic properties of NiFe2O4 nanocrystals. XRD analysis confirms the formation of a pure form of FCC nanocrystals of spinel ferrite type, where the average crystallite size has been found to be approximately 17 nm and 19 nm respectively for nickel ferrite (NF) and cobalt doped nickel ferrite (CNF) from XRD. Again, HRTEM study gives the average size for NF and CNF as 20 nm and 25 nm respectively. Further, SAED pattern indicates the polycrystallinity of both the sample, whereas EDX analysis confirms the presence of expected elements in the sample. From XRD data analysis different structural parameters such as lattice spacing, lattice constant, tetrahedral and octahedral ionic radii, oxygen position parameter, average cation radius per molecule, ionic packing coefficients (Pa, Pb), the degree of ionic packing (α), vacancy parameter (β), hopping lengths, and bond lengths etc. have been calculated for both nickel and cobalt doped nickel ferrite nanocrystals. Further, obtained cation distribution for NF and CNF nanocrystals from their XRD pattern analysis shows huge change in the distribution as a result of doping. In addition, FTIR spectral analysis also confirms the phase purity of both the samples. Magnetic characterization shows the improvement of different magnetic parameters due to cobalt doping on nickel, thereby making CNF nanocrystals suitable for different application purposes.

Synthesis and evaluation of a glass-ceramic system containing zinc ferrite nanocrystals

The glass-ceramic materials containing zinc ferrite nanocrystals, obtained from the 35SiO2 - 25CaO - 7P2O5 - 3Na2O - 10ZnO - 20Fe2O3 (wt.%) glass, was studied. The samples were investigated by DTA, XRD, FE-SEM, OMI, and VSM magnetometry. After melting process of raw materials, thermal behavior of glassy samples was investigated by DTA and necessary conditions for heat treatment of glassy samples at 700, 850, and 1050 °C were determined. The results showed that after heat treatment of the amorphous samples at 700 °C, a glass-ceramic containing zinc ferrite nanocrystals and traces of other phases such as wollastonite and calcium phosphate were formed. By heat treatment at 850 and 1050 °C, although the magnetic properties were enhanced, the zinc ferrite nanoparticles were gradually replaced by micron-sized particles of magnetite and maghemite, whereas the observed crystalline phases (wollastonite and calcium phosphate) were moderately replaced by fayalite and other silicate phases.

Eco-friendly green synthesis and characterizations of CoFe2-x AlxO4 nanocrystals: analysis of structural, magnetic, electrical, and dielectric properties

This work reports, thermal, structural, magnetic, electric, and dielectric investigations of the CoFe2-xAlxO4 nanocrystals synthesized through eco-friendly green sol–gel auto-ignition route. X-ray diffractograms exposed the uni-phasic geometry with Fd3m_ $${\text{O}}_{{\text{h}}}^{7}$$ space group. The standard crystallite sizes were found in between 24 and 44 nm, confirming the nano-crystalline dimension. FTIR analysis confirmed the two specific vibrational stretching bands corresponding to the spinel ferrite geometry. The surface topology of ferrite nanocrystals with size distribution was effectively observed from TEM micrographs. The magnetic study at room temperature showed lessening in saturation magnetization with rise in Al3+ concentrations, ascribed to the replacement of Fe3+ ions by paramagnetic Al3+ ions. The M–H loops showed the perfect loop of typical soft ferromagnetic behavior of the produced nano-ferrites. The saturation magnetization, coercivity, and magneto-crystalline anisotropy declines with the upsurge in Al3+ ions which is owing to the non-magnetic contamination in the magnetic matrix. The DC-electrical resistivity was enhanced with growing temperature along with Al3+ content x. The dielectric parameters boosted pointedly with Al3+ substitution and decline exponentially with a rise in frequency in compliance with ‘Koops’ phenomenological theory. All the outcomes show that Al3+ substitution influences the physical characteristics of cobalt ferrite nanocrystals which shows its suitability in various technological applications. The graphical abstract presenting the synthesis reaction, TEM micrograph (along with crystallite size distribution) and M–H plots for CoFe2-xAlxO4 nanocrystals.

Gamma radiation shielding characteristics of various spinel ferrite nanocrystals: a combined experimental and theoretical investigation.

This work presents the facile synthesis of Ni, Mn, Zn, Cu and Co spinel ferrite nanocrystals via sol–gel auto-ignition and the investigation of their structural and gamma ray shielding characteristics. Experimentally, gamma ray shielding parameters are determined with different gamma ray sources and NaI(Tl) scintillation detector and theoretically via Monte-Carlo simulation (Geant4) as well as NIST-XCOM database. X-ray diffractograms elucidate the cubic spinel structure without any contaminating phases for all synthesized nano-ferrites. TEM results evidence the formation of ultrafine crystallites in nano-regime dimensions. Nanocrystalline spinel ferrites in pellet form have been exposed to gamma radiation from diverse sources by changing the radiation dose intensity. The comparative study of the linear attenuation coefficient, mass attenuation coefficient, total atomic cross section, total electronic cross section, effective atomic number, effective electron density and half value layer for manufactured spinel ferrites is carried out using NIST-XCOM and Geant4 at 122–1330 keV. Gamma ray energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) is investigated for five selected ferrites at 100 keV to 1500 keV incident photon energy and penetration depth from 1 to 40 mfp using geometric progression (G-P) fitting technique. EABF is found to be maximum at an intermediate region, mainly attributed to the Compton scattering process. Zinc ferrite exhibits a higher value of EABF among other ferrites, which mainly depends on the chemical composition of the material and crystallite size effect. The EABF is investigated as a function of penetration depth and is found to be maximum for a penetration depth of 40 mfp. Experimental and theoretical simulation results are found to be in good agreement. The Monte-Carlo simulation of radiation interaction with materials has evidenced to be an excellent approximation tool in exploring spinel ferrite performance in radiation atmosphere.