Investigating the Impact of Cu 2+ Doping on the Morphological, Structural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of CoFe 2 O 4 Nanoparticles for Use in Electrical Devices.

This study investigated the production of Cu ²⁺ -doped CoFe ₂ O ₄ nanoparticles (CFO NPs) using a facile sol-gel technique. The impact of Cu ²⁺ doping on the lattice parameters, morphology, optical properties, and electrical properties of CFO NPs was investigated for applications in electrical devices. The XRD analysis revealed the formation of spinel-phased crystalline structures of the specimens with no impurity phases. The average grain size, lattice constant, cell volume, and porosity were measured in the range of 4.55-7.07 nm, 8.1770-8.1097 Å, 546.7414-533.3525 Å ³ , and 8.77-6.93%, respectively. The SEM analysis revealed a change in morphology of the specimens with a rise in Cu ²⁺ content. The particles started gaining a defined shape and size with a rise in Cu ²⁺ doping. The Cu _0.12 Co _0.88 Fe ₂ O ₄ NPs revealed clear grain boundaries with the least agglomeration. The energy band gap declined from 3.98 eV to 3.21 eV with a shift in Cu ²⁺ concentration from 0.4 to 0.12. The electrical studies showed that doping a trace amount of Cu ²⁺ improved the electrical properties of the CFO NPs without producing any structural distortions. The conductivity of the Cu ²⁺ -doped CFO NPs increased from 6.66 × 10 ^-10 to 5.26 × 10 ^-6 ℧ cm ^-1 with a rise in Cu ²⁺ concentration. The improved structural and electrical characteristics of the prepared Cu ²⁺ -doped CFO NPs made them a suitable candidate for electrical devices, diodes, and sensor technology applications.