Nickel Substitution in Zinc Ferrite Nanostructures Synthesized by Reactive Sputtering

Abstract

This study examined the impact of substituting nickel for iron(III) in the normal spinel ZnFe₂O₄ crystal structure at electrochemical interfaces, either partially or completely. The resulting ZnNiₓFe₂₋ₓO₄ nanostructures had a spherical morphology with an average particle size ranging from 15 to 45 nm. Their energy band gaps varied between 2.05 and 3.02 eV. All synthesized materials retained a normal spinel structure, attributed to the octahedral site preference energy (OSPE) of Zn²⁺, Fe³⁺, Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions.