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

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, ZnFe2O4, NiFe2O4, 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 Ms, 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.