Prospecting the structural and magnetic features of (x)CuO/(1-x)CdFe2O4 nanocomposite system (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0)

The structural properties of (x)CuO/(1-x)CdFe2O4 nanocomposites for x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 1.0 were studied. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the existence of both phases with a secondary phase of alpha-Fe2O3. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characterization showed the vibrational bands of the synthesized samples. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) micrographs revealed the presence of CuO, CdFe2O4, and alpha-Fe2O3 phases and showed the polycrystalline nature of the prepared nanocomposites. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) study exhibited the morphology of the prepared nanostructures and indicated the agglomeration between them. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results revealed the presence of all chemical elements within the synthesized nanocomposites. Emission peaks of the samples were analyzed via Photoluminescence (PL) deconvolutions which approved the interface defects. The Mossbauer study showed the presence of hematite impurity and the results were coherent with XRD findings. The obtained M-H loops from the vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis depicted a paramagnetic nature of CuO and showed the ferromagnetic behavior of the nanocomposites.