Fabrication and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticle coated magnetic iron oxide: Effect of S-layers adsorption on surface of oxide

Mixed zinc oxide nanoparticle coated magnetic iron oxide has been prepared by a sol–gel and co-precipitation routes. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation of ferric and ferrous ions with ammonia, and then zinc oxide was coated onto the surface of magnetic iron oxide by hydrolysis of zinc precursors. As a result, zinc oxide coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with an average size of 68 nm were obtained. The crystalline bacterial cell surface layer)S-layer (used in this study was isolated from Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC 12046. The S-layer was adsorbed onto the surface of zinc oxide nanoparticle coated magnetic iron oxide. The nanoparticles were analyzed by X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to characterize the structural and the chemical features of the nanocomposites. The infrared spectra indicate that the S-layer-nanoparticle interaction occurs. This novel nanoparticle showed admirable potential in adsorption of S-layers on the surface of oxides for drug delivery.     

Structural and Magnetic Property of Co1‐xNixFe2O4 Nanoparticles Synthesized by Hydrothermal Method

The cobalt nickel ferrite (Co_1‐xNi_xFe₂O₄ x = 0–1.0) nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Effects of nickel content and organic template on the microstructure and magnetic property of the nanoparticles were studied. The experimental results indicate that Ni²⁺ substitution for Co²⁺ and special synthesis technique leads to obvious change in microstructure and magnetic property of the ferrites. The ferrites show nonlinear variations in the saturation magnetization and the coercivity with nickel substitution, which are explained by shape anisotropy and supernormal cation distribution. The organic template also leads to variation in the microstructure and properties of the nanoparticles.     

Electrochemical study of NiO nanoparticles electrode for application in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

Nickel oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via a simple and inexpensive microwave-assisted synthesis method within a fast reaction time of less than 20 min. The calcination of as-prepared precursor at 600 °C produces single phase nickel oxide. The lattice structure and morphology of the sample were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and field-emission transmission electron microscopy. The particle size range of the nickel oxide nanoparticles varied from 50 to 60 nm. Nickel oxide nanoparticles exhibited good electrochemical performances as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The prepared nickel oxide anode revealed a large initial discharge capacity of 1111.08 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.03 C rate and retained 80% of initial capacity (884.30 mAh g⁻¹) after 20 cycles. Furthermore, at elevated rate of 3.7 C, the charge capacity of the nickel oxide electrode was as high as 253.1 mAh g⁻¹, which was 35% greater than that of commercial bulk nickel oxide (188 mAh g⁻¹). The enhancement of the electrochemical performance was attributed to the high specific surface area, good electric contact among the particles and easier lithium ion diffusion.     

Magnetically retrievable nanoscale nickel ferrites: An active photocatalyst for toxic dye removal applications

Nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) nanoparticles were synthesized through the sol-gel auto-combustion method using urea and glycine as mixed fuel. The prepared nanoparticles were investigated for their structural, optical, and magnetic characterizations. Rietveld refined X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the development of single-phase cubic spinel. The crystallite size was calculated by using Modified Scherrer's method and the W-H plot was found in the order of 26.6 nm and 25.4 respectively which are nearly the same. The infrared spectrum showed the typical characteristic absorption bands in the range of 400 cm^-1 to 600 cm^-1 belonging to cubic spinel structure. Scanning electron microscopy images showed the spherical nature of the nanoparticles along with agglomeration to some extent. As per the optical study, the prepared nanoparticles have an optical bandgap of 2.59 eV. The magnetic properties were studied through the M − H hysteresis curve showing superparamagnetic nature, the value of saturation magnetization (M_s), coercivity (H_c) was observed 46.20 emu/gm, and 383.2 Oe respectively. The photocatalytic activity of nickel ferrite was studied based on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye as a model compound, where the result showed that prepared nanoparticles possessed a good photocatalytic activity against dye degradation. Up to four times catalyst exhibits nearly the same reutilization.     

Magnetic properties of iron nanoparticles alloyed with cobalt

Nanoparticles in the iron-cobalt system with an average size ranging from 8 to 30 nm were prepared by the gaseous-phase synthesis. Iron and cobalt carbonyls were used as starting precursors. The nanoparticles were synthesized through codecomposition of iron and cobalt carbonyl vapors in the flow of an inert gas in a flow-type reactor. The cobalt content was varied in the range 0–52 wt % with independent control of the evaporation rate of the starting precursors. The magnetic hysteresis characteristics of the nanoparticles as functions of the particle size and the cobalt content were examined by vibrating-sample magnetometry.     

Structural,optical, thermoelectrical,and magnetic study of Zn1‐xCoxO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.10) nanocrystals

In this work, we have prepared Co‐doped ZnO nanocomposites by zinc nitrate and cobalt sulfate as new precursors via the coprecipitation method and the samples were followed to identify the morphological, optical, structural, and magnetic properties. The XRD patterns revealed the crystalline nature of nanoparticles with hexagonal wurtzite structures, which meant that Co impurity did not disturb the structure of pure ZnO and the minimum crystallite size of nanoparticles was calculated to be around 37 nm. The XRD patterns also showed the lattice parameter increase owing to the incorporation of a Co dopant. The TEM results revealed the sphere‐like particles whose size varied between 56 and 88 nm in diameter at a 4% level of impurity. DRS analysis identified that the band gap energy decreased from 3.18 eV for the pure substance to 2.36 eV for the 10% impure substance. VSM analysis exhibited that the saturation magnetization value increased to 8.4 × 10^?3 emu/g for the highest Co content of 10%, which indicated the ferromagnetic behavior of NPs.     

Nanocrystalline/Nanosized Ni1−γFe2+γO4 Ferrite Obtained by Contamination with Fe During Milling of NiO–Fe2O3 Mixture. Structural and Magnetic Characterization

The nanocrystalline nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) was synthesized by reactive milling starting from equimolar mixture of oxides. The iron contamination during milling leads to a solid state reaction between Fe and NiFe₂O₄ spinel. This reaction starts for a milling time longer than 30 h. A mixed nickel–iron ferrite (Ni_1?γFe_2+γO₄) and elemental Ni are obtained. The evolution of the nickel–iron mixed ferrite during milling and its properties were investigated using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Laser Particles Size Analyzer and magnetic measurements. Annealing treatment (350°C/4 h in vacuum) is favorable to the reaction between phases. Replacement of Ni²⁺ cations by iron cations provided by contamination leads to the increase of lattice parameter value of the spinel structure. The magnetization of the nickel–iron mixed ferrite newly formed is larger than the nickel ferrite magnetization (13.6 μ_B/f.u. and 6.22 μ_B/f.u., respectively), due to the magnetic moment of Fe²⁺ cation which is double as compared to the Ni²⁺ cation. Magnetization of the milled samples decreases during milling due to the structural changes induced by milling in the nickel–iron mixed ferrite. The annealing induces a reordering of the cations which leads to a larger magnetization.     

ZrxCo0.8−xNi0.2−xFe2O4-graphene nanocomposite for enhanced structural,dielectric and visible light photocatalytic applications

Zirconium doped nickel cobalt ferrite (Zr_xCo_0.8−xNi_0.2−xFe₂O₄) nanoparticles and Zr_xCo_0.8−xNi_0.2−xFe₂O₄-graphene nanocomposites were synthesized by a cheap and facile co-precipitation method. Annealing was done at 750 °C for 6.5 h. Spinel cubic structure of prepared nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) technique. Crystalline size of nanoparticles was observed in the range of 18–27 nm. Graphene was synthesized by Hummer's method. Formation of rGO was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) and XRD. Zr_xCo_0.8−xNi_0.2−xFe₂O₄-graphene nanocomposites were prepared by ultra-sonication route. Grain size of nanoparticles and dispersion of nanoparticles between rGO layers was determined by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In application studies of nanoparticles and their nanocomposites, photocatalytic efficiency of nanoparticles under visible light irradiation was observed by degradation of methylene blue. Charge transfer resistance was measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the variation in dc electrical resistivity was analyzed by room temperature current voltage characteristics (I-V). Dielectric constant was also evaluated in frequency range from 1 MHz to 3 GHz. All these investigations confirmed the possible utilization of these materials for a variety of applications such as visible light photocatalysis, high frequency devices fabrication etc.     

Synthesis of iron nanoparticle: Challenge to determine the limit of hydrogen reduction in supercritical water

Supercritical hydrothermal syntheses of metal nanoparticles were investigated. Organic metal salt and hydrogen gas produced by water catalyzed decomposition of formic acid was employed as metal sources and reduction agent, respectively. The formation of iron was verified by measuring the magnetic property of the products by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer as well as crystallographic analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD). As predicted by the free energy calculation of reduction of metal oxides by hydrogen molecule, silver, palladium, copper, nickel and cobalt nanoparticles were synthesized without using surface modifier, whereas, iron could be synthesized at small yield. The main product was iron oxides (mainly magnetite). In order to increase the yield of iron, hexanoic acid was employed as an in situ surface modifier of the synthesis. The surface modification lessened the size of the synthesized nanoparticles and increased the yield of iron. The optimum condition for iron synthesis was also investigated, as a result, 7.6% yield of iron was achieved.     

Biotemplate synthesis of mesoporous α-Fe2O3 hierarchical structure with assisted pseudocapacitive as an anode for long-life lithium ion batteries

The oriented biotemplate synthesis of nanostructured metal oxides as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has recently attracted widespread attentions. Herein, mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃ hierarchical tubes (named as Fe-400) were successfully prepared by facile iron salt impregnation and air calcination at 400 °C using waste poplar branch as biotemplate. The hierarchical structure of Fe-400 is constructed from cross-linked small nanoparticles (~29 nm), which then results in large specific surface area (37.7 m² g^?1) and uniform mesoporous size distribution (12.2 nm). As anode material for LIBs, Fe-400 displays reversible capacity of 880.7 mA h g^?1 after long-cycle of 800^th at 1 A g^?1, indicating that this material has high capacity retention and good long-cycle stability. The prominent electrochemical properties are mainly ascribed to the large specific surface area, unique homogeneous mesopores, and the assisted pseudocapacitive behaviors of Fe-400. In view of the low-cost, environment-friendly and easily large-scale synthesis of Fe-400 electrode material, the present biotemplate strategy can present useful reference for the synthesis of other transition metal oxide-based anode materials for LIBs.     

Size dependence of optical and magnetic properties of nickel oxide nanoparticles fabricated by electric arc discharge method

Nickel oxide nanoparticles with an average size of between 28 and 62 nm were fabricated by electric arc discharge method. The electric currents of 10, 100, 200, 300 and 400 A and oxygen pressures of 1, 2 and 3 atm. were tested. High yield production was observed for the samples prepared at low arc current. The samples were characterized using XRD and FESEM measurements. XRD results showed that the samples were pure and single phase of nickel oxide with cubic structure. The produced nanoparticles were cubic shaped and the average particle sizes increased by increasing the arc pressure, but decreased by increasing the arc current and their size distributions were uniform. The magnetic measurements confirmed a soft ferromagnetic behavior for the nickel oxide nanoparticles at low field region but the hysteresis loop tended to be antiferromagnetic like for the higher fields. By decreasing the particle size from 62 nm, the coercivity (H_c) increased but decreased when the particle size was less than about 57 nm. Such magnetic behavior which can be common for antiferromagnetic nanoparticles was interpreted based on a core-shell model.     

Impact of rare earth europium (RE-Eu3+) ions substitution on microstructural,optical and magnetic properties of CoFe2−xEuxO4 nanosystems

In this study, pure cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) nanoparticles and europium doped CoFe₂O₄ (CoFe_2−xEu_xO₄; x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) nanoparticles were synthesized by the precipitation and hydrothermal approach. The impact of replacing trivalent iron (Fe³⁺) ions by trivalent rare earth europium (RE-Eu³⁺) ions on the microstructure, optical and magnetic properties of the produced CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra exposed the consistency of a single cubic phase with the evidence of Eu₂O₃ phases for x ≥ 0.2. FTIR transmittance spectra showed that, the all investigated samples have three characteristic metal-oxygen bond vibrations corresponding to octahedral B-site (υ₁ and υ₂) and tetrahedral A-site (υ₃) around 415 cm⁻¹, 470 cm⁻¹ and 600 cm⁻¹ respectively. XRD and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy studies affirmed the integration of RE-Eu³⁺ ions within CoFe₂O₄ host lattice and decrease of average crystals size from 13.7 nm to 4.7 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed the crucial role played by RE-Eu³⁺ added to CoFe₂O₄ in reducing the particle size below 5 nm in agreement with XRD analysis. High resolution-TEM (HR-TEM) analysis showed that the as-synthesized spinel ferrite, i.e., CoFe_2−xEu_xO₄, nanoparticles are single-crystalline with no visible defects. In addition, the HR-TEM results showed that pure and doped CoFe₂O₄ have well-resolved lattice fringes and their interplanar spacings matches that obtained by XRD analysis. Magnetic properties investigated by the vibrating sample magnetometer technique illustrated transformation of magnetic state from ferromagnetic to superparamagnetic at 300 K resulting in introducing RE-Eu³⁺ in CoFe₂O₄ lattice. At low temperature (~5 K) the magnetic order was ferromagnetic for both pure and doped CoFe₂O₄ samples. Substitution of Fe³⁺ ions in CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with RE-Eu³⁺ ions optimizes the sample nanocrystals size, cation distribution and magnetic properties for many applications.     

Synthesis method of novel Gd2O3@Fe3O4 nanocomposite modified by dextrose capping agent

In current study, gadolinium oxide was heterogeneously formed on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles and further modified with dextrose capping agent to be used in biomedical applications, especially for contrast enhancement in MR images. First, two types of iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared at 25 and 80 ^°C via simple coprecipitaion method. Then, gadolinium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized through a consecutive precipitation process on previously formed iron oxide seeds in an aqueous media and subsequent annealing at 300 ^°C. Finally, dextrose was used as capping agent to stabilize nanocomposites in a colloidal suspension. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning and Transmission electron microscopy, Dynamic Laser Scattering (DLS), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Magnetometery (VSM) techniques were employed for nanocomposites investigation and MTT-assay method used for viability assessment of colloidal samples. Measurements based on Scherrer equation from XRD patterns showed that increasing coprecipitation temperature resulted bigger iron oxide crystallites. The iron oxide crystallite size was increased from 15.1 to 28.1 nm. Precipitation process led to gadolinium oxide formation with 30.7 and 38.8 nm crystallite sizes, respectively. TEM images revealed that iron oxide agglomerates were encapsulated in gadolinium oxide surroundings. Hydrodynamic size of the coated nanoparticles with dextrose was 208 and 247 nm. In VSM examinations, nanocomposites did not display coercive field and the saturation magnetization was 1.93 emu/g. MTT-assay results showed 80% viability in 285 μg nanocomposites containing 96.9 μg [Fe] and 11.4 μg [Gd].     

Influence of rare-earth La3+ ion doping on microstructural,magnetic and dielectric properties of Mg0.5Ni0.5Fe2-xLaxO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) ferrite nanoparticles

A series of La³⁺ ion doped magnesium nickel ferrites, Mg_0.5Ni_0.5Fe_2-xLa_xO₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) having a cubic spinel structure were prepared by the co-precipitation method. Various characterization techniques, including X-ray diffractometer (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), electron spin resonance (ESR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were used to investigate structural and magnetic properties. The average crystallite size decreases and lattice parameter increases with La³⁺ ion doping and lie in the range of 12–7 nm and 8.347–8.361 Å respectively. Analysis of ESR spectra reveals that, g-value with La³⁺ ion addition decreases from 2.57 to 2.12. The saturation magnetization and the coercivity decrease with increasing rare-earth content. Magnetic-hysteresis (M − H) loop shifts from a ferromagnetic to a superparamagnetic nature with La³⁺ ion addition. The dielectric study was carried out in the frequency range of 1 KHz to 4000 KHz and temperature ranging 30 °C–350 °C using the impedance analyzer. The dielectric constant decreases with increasing frequency and the La³⁺ ion concentration. The dielectric loss of the sample increases with increasing temperature. The magnetic properties of the synthesized nanoparticles make them a potential material for stable ferrofluid application and the low tangent loss value makes these material a potential candidate for frequency-based applications.     

Controlled direction of electrical and mechanical properties in nickel tethered graphene polyimide nanocomposites using magnetic field

Oriented hybrid nickel tethered graphene polyimide resin nanocomposites with different degrees of orientation were prepared by in-situ magnetic field solvent casting method. Magnetization of the hybrid Ni-graphene polyimide nanocomposites exhibited a maximum in the magnetic field direction and a minimum perpendicular to the magnetic field direction indicating the orientation of the superparamagnetic nickel nanoparticles. In-plane dc electrical conductivity of the 1.3 vol.% Ni-graphene was 2.5 times higher when cast in a high magnetic field compared to films cast without an applied magnetic field. The through-plane dc conductivity of the 1.3 vol.% oriented Ni-graphene polyimide nanocomposites decreased with increasing magnetic field strength and reached insulation (10⁻¹² S/cm) for the films cast in high magnetic field. The in-plane tensile modulus of the polyimide exhibited a 35% increase when 0.16 vol.% Ni-graphene was added to the polyimide and cast in a low-strength magnetic field. Further addition of Ni-graphene, up to 1.3 vol.%, to the polyimide resulted in nearly constant tensile moduli. Tensile strength of nickel graphene nanocomposites showed up to 2-fold increase compared to the neat polyimide. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the Ni-graphene nanosheets were oriented in the magnetic field direction.     

Erbium substituted nickel–cobalt spinel ferrite nanoparticles: Tailoring the structural,magnetic and electrical parameters

In this article, we have reported an effective, rapid as well as economical Er³⁺ substituted Ni_0.4Co_0.6Fe₂O₄ ferrite nanoparticles synthesized via surfactant-assisted co-precipitation route. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dielectric properties, current-voltage (I–V) measurements, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). XRD and FTIR confirmed the face-centered (FCC) spinel structure of all compositions of the synthesized spinel ferrite nanoparticles. The deviations in the lattice constant granted with the variation in size of the guest (Er³⁺) and host (Fe³⁺) cations. These ferrites were also subjected for electrical, magnetic and dielectric investigations. I–V measurements showed that resistivity values decreased from 6.20 × 10⁷ Ω cm to 0.03 × 10⁷ Ω cm with the increased Er³⁺ contents. Saturation magnetization increased from 35.99 to 39.95 emu/g. This high value of saturation magnetization suggested the possible utilization of such ferrites for practical applications such as microwave and recording devices fabrication. Interestingly, the magnetic and dielectric properties of nickel-cobalt ferrite nanoparticles showed ample improvement upon Er³⁺ substitution. The results clearly indicate the potential of Er⁺³ substituted spinel ferrite particles in various advanced technological devices fabrication.     

Effect of lemon juice on microstructure,phase changes,and magnetic performance of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles and their use on release of anti-cancer drugs

Cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and developed by a modified Pechini method using iron nitrate, cobalt nitrate, ethylene glycol (EG), and sucrose with different volumes of lemon juice (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 ml) as the source of chelating agent as well as nonmagnetic elements such as Ca and Mg ions. The XRD patterns confirmed that all samples synthesized by different contents of extracted lemon juice had a cubic crystal structure with single-phase spinel. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that cobalt ferrite nanoparticles had a semi-spherical morphology. Also, the vibrating sample magnetometer indicated that the saturation magnetization of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles prepared with different values of extracted lemon juice increased from 18.6 emu/g for 10 ml extracted lemon juice to 75.7 emu/g for 50 ml extracted lemon juice, after which the saturation magnetization diminished. Afterwards, the CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and doxorubicin (DOX) drugs, whereby drug delivery was detected at different pH levels. The CoFe₂O₄-PEG-DOX nanocomposite could release doxorubicin by more than 42% at pH = 5.4 in 75 h.     

Effect of Cobalt and Nickel Doping on Structural and Magnetic Properties of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Two series samples of Iron Oxide nanoparticles doped with nickel and cobalt with different doping values (x?=?0.01; 0.03; 0.05 and 0.07), were successfully synthesized by using sol–gel method, and then they were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). X-ray diffraction analysis of two series samples showed the formation α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, accompanied by two phases iron spinels, CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄. In addition, the variations in grain size were observed for both two series. The observation by scanning electron microscopy reveals a change in the morphology of the grains of all the samples doped, which confirm the cobalt and nickel effect on the morphology of iron oxide nanoparticles. Magnetic measurements which were measured by VSM showed significant magnetic parameters such as coercivity and magnetization besides the ferromagnetic behavior of both two series doped with Cobalt and Nickel.

     

Coordination polymers. 7. Synthesis and characterization of some polychelates derived from bisphenolic complexes

Chelate polyesters and polysiloxanes derived from bisphenolic complexes with some bivalent ions as copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, zinc have been synthesized. The polychelates are studied in terms of spectral, thermal, magnetic, and electrical properties; the probable structures of these polymers have been proposed.     

Effect of the rare-earth substitution on the structural,magnetic and adsorption properties in cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

Rare-earth (RE) substituted cobalt ferrite CoFe_1.9RE_0.1O₄ (RE=Pr³⁺, Sm³⁺, Tb³⁺, Ho³⁺) nanoparticles are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method without any template and surfactant. The effects of RE³⁺ substitution on structural, magnetic and adsorption properties of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles are investigated. Structure, morphology, particle size, chemical composition and magnetic properties of the ferrite nanoparticles are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high solution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectra and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The results indicate that the as-synthesized samples have the pure spinel phase, uniform crystallite size and narrow particle size distribution. Meanwhile, the RE³⁺ substitution leads to the decrease in the particle size, magnetization and coercivity of the CoFe₂O₄ ferrite. Notably, it demonstrates that the RE³⁺ doping can apparently enhance the adsorption capacity for Congo red (CR) onto ferrite nanoparticles. Adsorption equilibrium studies show that adsorption of CR follows the Langmuir model. The monolayer adsorption capacities of CoFe_1.9Sm_0.1O₄ and CoFe_1.9Ho_0.1O₄ are 178.6 and 158.0 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption kinetics can be described by the pseudo-second-order model.