Abstract
This study investigated the production of Cu
2+
-doped CoFe
2
O
4
nanoparticles (CFO NPs) using a facile sol−gel technique. The impact of Cu
2+
doping on the lattice parameters, morphology, optical properties, and electrical properties of CFO NPs was investigated for applications in electrical devices. The XRD analysis revealed the formation of spinel-phased crystalline structures of the specimens with no impurity phases. The average grain size, lattice constant, cell volume, and porosity were measured in the range of 4.55–7.07 nm, 8.1770–8.1097 Å, 546.7414–533.3525 Å
3
, and 8.77–6.93%, respectively. The SEM analysis revealed a change in morphology of the specimens with a rise in Cu
2+
content. The particles started gaining a defined shape and size with a rise in Cu
2+
doping. The Cu
0.12
Co
0.88
Fe
2
O
4
NPs revealed clear grain boundaries with the least agglomeration. The energy band gap declined from 3.98 eV to 3.21 eV with a shift in Cu
2+
concentration from 0.4 to 0.12. The electrical studies showed that doping a trace amount of Cu
2+
improved the electrical properties of the CFO NPs without producing any structural distortions. The conductivity of the Cu
2+
-doped CFO NPs increased from 6.66 × 10
−10
to 5.26 × 10
−6
℧ cm
−1
with a rise in Cu
2+
concentration. The improved structural and electrical characteristics of the prepared Cu
2+
-doped CFO NPs made them a suitable candidate for electrical devices, diodes, and sensor technology applications.