Characterization Analysis of Copper Ferrite Nanoparticles

Copper ferrite (CuFe₂O₄) nanocrystals were synthesized through a chemical co-precipitation technique using iron chloride and copper chloride as the starting materials. Octanoic acid (C₈H₁₆O₂) was incorporated as a surfactant to assist in controlling the growth and morphology of the nanoparticles. The synthesized material was examined using several analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Morphological investigations using SEM and TEM revealed that the prepared CuFe₂O₄ particles possessed a nearly spherical morphology, with particle dimensions in the range of approximately 23 ± 7 nm. The magnetic characteristics were evaluated at room temperature using VSM. The obtained hysteresis behavior indicated ferromagnetic characteristics, with a coercive field of approximately 245.5 Oe at 300 K. These findings demonstrate that the co-precipitation method is an effective approach for producing nanoscale copper ferrite with distinct structural and magnetic properties.