Crystallographically oriented magnetic ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by Fe implantation into ZnO

TL;DR

This study explores how Fe implantation and annealing influence the formation and magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles within ZnO, revealing orientation-specific growth and magnetic behavior at low temperatures.

Contribution

It demonstrates the synthesis of crystallographically oriented ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles in ZnO via Fe implantation and annealing, highlighting their structural and magnetic characteristics.

Findings

Formation of superparamagnetic alpha-Fe nanoparticles at high Fe fluence

Growth and oxidation of Fe nanoparticles depending on annealing temperature

Crystallographically oriented ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles with magnetic hysteresis at 5 K

Abstract

In this paper, a correlation between structural and magnetic properties of Fe implanted ZnO is presented. High fluence Fe^+ implantation into ZnO leads to the formation of superparamagnetic alpha-Fe nanoparticles. High vacuum annealing at 823 K results in the growth of alpha-Fe particles, but the annealing at 1073 K oxidized the majority of the Fe nanoparticles. After a long term annealing at 1073 K, crystallographically oriented ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles were formed inside ZnO with the orientation relationship of ZnFe2O4(111)[110]//ZnO(0001)[1120]. These ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles show a hysteretic behavior upon magnetization reversal at 5 K.