STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF COBALT FERRITE/COBALT IRON NANOCOMPOSITES PRODUCED BY RAPID HYDROGEN REDUCTION: AN X-RAY DIFFRACTION ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article investigates the structural properties of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and cobalt iron (CoFe) nanocomposites, synthesized through a rapid hydrogen reduction method. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was employed to characterize the phases present, monitor the evolution of CoFe2O4 to CoFe transformation, and determine the average nanoparticle size at different thermal treatment times. The nanocomposites were prepared from ground cobalt ferrite, subjected to reduction in a hydrogen atmosphere (99.99% purity) at 350°C, with times varying from 10 to 30 minutes. XRD results confirmed the formation of both CoFe2O4 and CoFe phases, with a progressive increase in CoFe concentration over reduction time. It was observed that the CoFe2O4 nanoparticle size exhibits oscillatory behavior, while that of CoFe shows a tendency to decrease with increasing treatment time. Understanding these structural variations is crucial for optimizing synthesis parameters and controlling the properties of these nanocomposites for future applications.