Study of Magnetic Properties, Structural, and Morphological Characterization of CoFe2O4 Octapods

The octapod-shaped CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were prepared via thermal decomposition which allows precise control of nanoparticle morphology (Oanh et al. 2023). X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirmed the high crystallinity and the presence of the cobalt-ferrite phase in the nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses provided insights into the morphology and size distribution of the particles. TEM images confirmed that the as-prepared product consists of eight-armed star-like cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. Prepared nanoparticles had an average edge length between two nearby armed points of about 14 nm. We measured the magnetic properties of these nanoparticles using a SQUID magnetometer, allowing us to obtain detailed information on their magnetization behavior, blocking temperature, and interparticle interactions. These measurements confirmed a high saturation magnetization value of around 80 Am2/kg, which is maintained even at room temperature. The presence of the Co-Fe phase is evidenced by a high coercivity value of 2 T at 5 K. The zero-field-cooled (ZFC)/field-cooled (FC) measurements confirmed the superparamagnetic behavior of the studied nanoparticles. These extensive characterizations demonstrate the potential of these octapod-shaped CoFe2O4 nanoparticles for applications in magnetic particle hyperthermia and other magnetic-based technologies.