One-pot production of copper ferrite nanoparticles using a chemical method

Copper ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized via the oxidation of precipitates obtained from the reaction of FeCl2, CuSO4 and N2H4 in the presence of gelatin. These copper ferrite particles were subsequently examined using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The average size of the copper ferrite nanoparticles was less than 5 nm, and they exhibited superparamagnetic behavior as a result of their small size. The low temperature Mossbauer spectrum exhibited three sets of sextets, two corresponding to the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of the copper spinel structure and one with small hyperfine magnetic field corresponding to the surface or defects of the nanoparticles. When the ratio of copper salt was increased, the tetrahedral site became preferable for copper, and metallic copper and copper ferrite were both present in a single nanoparticle.