Nanocrystalline Cu0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4: Preparation and Kinetics of Thermal Decomposition of Precursor

Cu_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ precursor was synthesized by solid-state reaction at low heat using CuSO₄?5H₂O, ZnSO₄?7H₂O, FeSO₄?7H₂O, and Na₂CO₃?10H₂O as raw materials. The spinel Cu_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ was obtained via calcining precursor above 600 ^°C. The precursor and its calcined products were characterized by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analyses (TG/DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The result showed that highly crystallization Cu_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ was obtained when the precursor was calcined at 600 ^°C for 2 h. Magnetic characterization indicated that calcined products above 600 ^°C behaved with strong magnetic properties. The kinetics of the thermal decomposition of the precursor was studied using the TG technique. Based on the KAS equation, the values of the activation energy for the thermal decomposition of the precursor were determined.