Effects of Microwave Irradiation on the Synthesis of ZnFe2O4 Nanopowders with Hydrated Compounds

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effect of microwave irradiation on the synthesis of ZnFe2O4 (ZFO) nanopow-ders. The structural, chemical, and physical features of the powders prepared via microwave-assisted heating (MWH) were analyzed with variation in the initial precursors and synthesis temperatures. Three different types of source batches, namely Zn(CH3CO2)(2)center dot 2H(2)O and FeC2O4 center dot 2H(2)O (ZAHFOH), Zn(NO3)(3)center dot 6H(2)O and Fe(NO3)(2)center dot 9H(2)O (ZNHFNH), and ZnO and Fe2O3 (ZOFO), were prepared. The formation of ZFO compounds was achieved at 100 degrees C for ZAHFOH using MWH, which is much lower than the synthesis temperature of 700 degrees C using conventional heating (CH). The value of the activation energy (Q) for the ZAHFOH source in synthesis using MWH was approximately 7.9 kJ/mol, which is approximately one-tenth of the Q value (100.7 kJ/mol) for ZOFO using CH. It was determined that the inversion factors were approximately 5.4, 4.3, and 4.0, and the crystallite sizes were 57.7, 72.5, and 78.9 nm for the ZAHFOH, ZNHFNH, and ZOFO, respectively. The ZFO powders exhibited superIP: paramagnetism127.0.0.1 forOn: Mon,ZAHFOH 25 andOct 2021 paramagnetism06:19:41 for ZNHFNH and ZOFO. Based on the crystallite size-related surface effects, redistribution of the Zn and Fe ions occurred. This phenomenon Copyright: American Scientific Publishers is attributed to the magnetic transformation of ZFO. Based on these results, it is expected that a sensitively Delivered by Ingenta tunable size and magnetic properties can be achieved using MWH.