Synthesis, Characterization, and Sensing Performance Investigation of Copper Cadmium Ferrite Nanoparticles

Copper cadmium ferrite nanoparticles with diameters less than 30 nm were prepared and investigated in terms of gas sensitivity. The crystal structure and surface morphology were examined using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental mapping, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The X-ray analysis showed the formation of the copper cadmium ferrite phase. SEM images also displayed surface morphologies and pores (active sites) of copper cadmium ferrite nanoparticles. The TEM image confirmed the nanoscale dimensions of this ferrite. The crystallite size of copper cadmium ferrite nanoparticles found to be near 9 nm. Sensitivity properties of this ferrite were investigated for seven gas types in an isolated box. The seven gas types tested in this project were ethanol, methanol, N, N-Dimethyl formamide, ammonia, acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, and acetone. Among these samples, the acrylonitrile sample at 350 °C had the best sensitivity performance.