Structural, optical and magnetic properties of novel ZnFe2O4/ZrO2 mixed metal oxide nanocomposite synthesized by hydrothermal technique.

The main purpose of this study is to synthesize and investigate the structural, magnetic and optical features of ZnFe 2 O 4 -ZrO 2 mixed metal oxide nanocomposite. ZnFe 2 O 4 -ZrO 2 nanocomposite with different ratios was prepared by a simple and low cost hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized with the aid of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), BET measurements and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction study showed that the crystalline structure of ZnFe 2 O 4 and ZrO 2 nanoparticles and ZnFe 2 O 4 -ZrO 2 nanocomposites were well-formed. FTIR Spectroscopy and SEM images further confirmed the complete formation of zinc ferrite and zirconium oxide crystalline structure with nano spherical morphology. Moreover, the particle size of the nanocomposites was between 14 and 30 nm, estimated by DLS analysis. The highest saturation magnetization (Ms) (27 emu/g) was achieved for ZnFe 2 O 4 -ZrO 2 nanocomposite with (3:1) ratio with M r and H c values of 0.17 (emu/g) and 3.02 (Oe), respectively. Moreover, optical studies indicated that addition of narrow band gap ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles could effectively reduce the band gap and shift the excitation wavelength of the nanocomposite to visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]