Novel polyvinyl alcohol polymer based nanostructure with ferrites co-doped with nickel and cobalt ions for magneto-sensor application

Uniform nanosheet-like structures were synthesized by the polymer based co-precipitation route. Different concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol (pure (0 g), 0.2 g and 0.5 g) were added to nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) ion co-doped ferrite magnetic nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction confirmed a spinel structure phase of the Ni − Co ferrites. Enhanced average crystallite size (6.7%) of the Ni − Co ferrites was found on polymer incorporation. The molecular functional group of polyvinyl alcohol and Ni − Co ferrites was confirmed by infrared and Raman spectroscopy techniques. On adding polymer, the spherical morphology of the Ni − Co ferrites was tailored to nanosheets (200 nm × 300 nm). Therefore, the polymer based co-precipitation technique is an inexpensive, simple and effective route to engineer the morphology of the magnetic nanostructure and could be useful for gas sensor and magnetic sensors. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry