Effect of Co:Fe Ratio on Phase Transformations, Structural, Magnetic and Antibacterial Properties of CoₓFe₃₋ₓO₄ Nanocompounds Synthesized by Co-precipitation

Aljumaily, Thair Q.; Noufan Abdullah, Qahtan N.

doi:10.32894/kujss.2026.170877.1317

Effect of Co:Fe Ratio on Phase Transformations, Structural, Magnetic and Antibacterial Properties of CoₓFe₃₋ₓO₄ Nanocompounds Synthesized by Co-precipitation

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Thair Q. Aljumaily

Qahtan N. Noufan Abdullah

Physics Department, College of Education for Pure Science, Tikrit University, Tikrit, Iraq.

10.32894/kujss.2026.170877.1317

Abstract

Abstract-In this study, fine CoₓFe₃₋ₓO₄ nanoparticles with cobalt concentrations (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) were synthesized using a simple one-step co-precipitation method. The effects of cobalt substitution were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The synthetic results revealed the formation of a cubic spinel structure at medium concentrations, with crystals ranging from 14 to 21 nm, accompanied by the formation of secondary phases, including hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) and cobalt oxide (CoO/Co₃O₄). EDX examination, confirmed the elemental composition, and uniform distribution of the constituent elements, whereas (FTIR) spectra, validated the distinctive metal–oxygen vibrations of the spinel structure. Magnetic measurements revealed saturation magnetization values ranging from 0.109 to 2.51 emu.g-1. The samples exhibited soft magnetic behavior. This is attributed to the nanoscale effect. The nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity with an inhibition zone diameter 25 mm against S. aureus and E. coli, which enhances their use in technical and medical applications.

Keywords

Keywords- Fe2o3

Phases

Antibacterial

Co₃O₄

E. coli

Subjects