Nano Ferrites: Synthesis, Properties and Emerging Applications-A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Ferrites are ceramic materials primarily composed of iron oxide (Fe₂O₄) mixed elements such as Ba, Mn, Ni, and Zi which exhibit unique magnetic and electrical properties. These materials are classified into hard ferrites and soft ferrites. The general formula for ferrites is MFe₂O₄, where M represents divalent ions. Due to their high resistivity and saturation magnetization, ferrites are widely used in transformer cores, inductors and microwave components, etc. Recent research has focused on enhancing ferrite properties through various synthesis techniques and doping expanding their applications in sustainable energy and environmental remediation. In this paper, the synthesis, characterization, and applications of nanosized ferrites, including CoFe₂O₄, MnFe₂O₄, ZnFe₂O_4, NiFe₂O_4, CuFe₂O₄, and Bi₂Mn₄O₁₀, are discussed. The study highlights the significance of synthesis methods, including sol-gel, combustion, co-precipitation, biosynthesis, microwave-assisted combustion, hydrothermal, and solvothermal techniques. Characterization techniques like XRD, SEM, FTIR, and FT-RAMAN are discussed to understand the physical properties like structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of ferrites. The study also examines the variation of lattice parameter a (Å), Crystallite size D (nm), X-ray density of Mn-Zn and variation of saturation magnetization M_s, coercivity and remanent magnetization ferrite nanoparticle with different composition ratio when synthesised with different techniques at different temperatures. The diverse applications of ferrites in microwave devices, telecommunication, dielectric applications, water detoxification, biomedical fields, sensors, catalysis, photoluminescence, data storage, and environmental remediation are also reviewed.