Structural and electrochemical characterization of tetragonal copper ferrite nanoparticles

Tetragonal CuFe₂O₄ is prepared using solid-state techniques assisted by a low-energy ball milling procedure, starting from cuprous oxide (CuO) and hematite (α-Fe₂O₃). The crystalline material was studied by Powder XRD analysis, ATR-FTIR, and room temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that tetragonal CuFe₂O₄ is an inverse spinel. The formation of CuFe₂O₄ was favoured by milling. FESEM indicates the occurrence a distribution of the particles of irregular grain agglomeration. In the EDS scanning of the tetragonal CuFe₂O₄ pure samples, the Cu and Fe are homogeneously dispersed, and the Fe/Cu proportion is close to 2. Cyclic voltammetry studies were conducted using the voltammetry of immobilised microparticles technique, with platinum as a counter electrode, Ag/AgCl as a reference, and CuFe₂O₄ NPs over carbon paste as the working electrode. Pure copper ferrites exhibit two anodic peaks and two cathodic peaks in an acidic solution. A capacitor's behaviour is exhibited in alkaline electrolytes.