Cu2+- and Zn2+-doped cobalt spinel ferrite: insights on structural, thermal conduction, electric, magnetic and elastic properties

M-CoFe2O4 (where M=Cu and Zn) nanoferrites were successfully prepared using the citrate auto-combustion technique. The main idea was drawn through a complete study of the structural, morphological, thermal, magnetic, and electrical properties. The obtain findings were explained in the light of incorporation both Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions in the CoFe2O4 crystal. All the investigated samples were found to belong to space group (Fd-3m) and space group number (227). The crystallite size of the CoFe2O4, Cu-CoFe2O4, and Zn-CoFe2O4 nanoparticles was found to be 8, 15, and 14, respectively. While, the lattice constants were 8.4 nm, 8.39 nm, and 8.42 nm, respectively. The doping exhibits enhancement of the elastic properties. Cu-CoFe2O4 shows young' modulus at 278.97 GPa, while the shear modulus was 185.98 GPa, as highest obtained values compared to virgin and other doping samples. The highest saturation magnetization was observed for virgin sample, CoFe2O4, (56.1 emu/g) compared to it being 46.9 and 45 emu/g for Cu-CoFe2O4 and Zn-CoFe2O4, respectively. The highest magnetic susceptibility (0.639) was obtained for Zn-CoFe2O4. The thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat of the prepared samples were investigated by the hot disk technique at room temperature. The results have shown an enhancement in the thermal properties of CoFe2O4-doped Zn and Cu rather than virgin CoFe2O4, predicting required thermal stability in the working devices. The Cu-CoFe2O4 sample exhibits the highest value of thermal conductivity (0.95 W/m k), thermal diffusivity (0.75 m m(2)/s), and specific heat (0.85 Mj/m(3) k) compared to (0.6 and 0.82 W/m k), (0.52 and 0.6 m m(2)/s), and (0.62 and 0.72 Mj/m(3) k) for CoFe2O4 and Zn-CoFe2O4, respectively. The electrical conductivity and permittivity of all ferrite samples were enhanced by augmenting the temperature. The highest values were achieved for CoFe2O4 sample. The present CoFe2O4-doped Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions offer a decent contender material with appealing characteristics suitable for different electronic applications.

Automated summary

M-CoFe2O4 (where M=Cu and Zn) nanoferrites were successfully synthesized using the citrate auto-combustion method. The structural, morphological, thermal, magnetic, and electrical properties of the samples were thoroughly investigated. The doping of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions in CoFe2O4 crystal resulted in improved elastic properties and enhanced thermal stability. Cu-CoFe2O4 sample exhibited the highest values of thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat compared to CoFe2O4 and Zn-CoFe2O4 samples. The electrical conductivity and permittivity of all ferrite samples were also enhanced with increasing temperature. These CoFe2O4-doped Cu2+ and Zn2+ nanoferrites show promising characteristics for various electronic applications.