Crystallographic, morphological, magnetic and optical properties of nano cobalt ferrite synthesized by hydrothermal method over different synthesis temperature

CoFe2O4 was synthesized at 150 °C, 180 °C, and 210 °C temperatures using hydrothermal method to find the effect on its structural, magnetic, electric, and optical properties. The saturation magnetization, coercivity and magnetic anisotropy was found using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), ranging from 50.36 to 53.66 emu/g. XRD (X-ray Diffraction Analysis) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) was used for structural analysis verifying the spinel ferrite structure with a single phase. The crystalline size and lattice strain was found using Size-Strain Plot (SSP) and Debye-Scherrer (D-S) method which proved that as the synthesis temperature increased, the crystallite size also increased. The crystalline size ranges from 39.40 to 82.24 nm as observed by XRD. SEM analysis found the crystal size range to be from 9 to 12 nm. It was found that the optimum temperature to synthesize cobalt ferrite nanoparticles are at 180 °C for sample H2 with a crystal size of 82.24 nm and band gap energy of 2.60 eV. The Ms value was determined to be 50.36 emu/g for H2 sample with Rs value of 0.31.