Study of the spectroscopic, magnetic, and electrical behavior of PVDF/PEO blend incorporated with nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles

Pure nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NiFe2O4 NPs) were prepared by the solvothermal method. Different concentrations of NiFe2O4 were added to PVDF/PEO blend to prepare the PVDF/PEO-NiFe2O4 nanocomposite films. The films were characterized using different techniques in detail. Pure NiFe2O4 NPs images have a semispherical shape and roundness of the edges, with average particle size similar to 4.3-8.8 nm, and polycrystalline structure. Pure NiFe2O4 NPs show that micrometrical agglomeration suggests the presence of pore-free crystallites on the surface. The spectroscopic techniques such as XRD, FTIR, and UV-visible have confirmed the interaction between PVDF/PEO and NiFe2O4 NPs. Still, the nanocomposites exhibit a smooth surface with typical spherulitic clusters revealing the semi-crystalline structure of the PVDF/PEO-NiFe2O4 nanocomposites. The values of epsilon' and epsilon" were increased as an increase of NiFe2O4 due to the high value of dielectric permittivity of NiFe2O4. The appearance of semi-circles in the plot of M" with Log confirms the single phase of the samples. The dielectric measurements show that M' is inversely proportional to epsilon'. At higher temperatures, M' levels off at frequencies higher than those at lower temperatures because the relaxation processes were spread over a range of frequencies. The values of saturation magnetization of PVDF/PEO-NiFe2O4 films were linearly increased as an increase of NiFe2O4 indicates improvement in the magnetic vector arrangement. Due to the enhancement of the magnetic properties, they can further exploit the films for magnetic applications.