Facile synthesis, structure and infrared properties of CoFe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles (CFN)

In this investigation, CoFe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles (CFN) were successfully synthesized by a simple and cost-effective sol-gel auto-combustion method using citric acid (C6H8O7) as a fuel. The sol-gel synthesized CFN samples were characterized for microstructural and physic-chemical properties through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared analysis. The crystallite size (t), the lattice constant (a) a = b = c, and X-ray density dX of CFN were calculated using X-ray diffraction data. Crystallite size was obtained through Debye-Scherrer’s formula indicates the nanocrystalline nature of the prepared sample. The functional group analysis of CFN was carried out by infrared spectroscopy which confirmed the presence of M-O stretching vibrations in the investigated samples. The IR analysis confirmed the formation of the ferrite phase in the CFN samples.