Abstract
Spinel nickel zinc ferrite nanowires were successfully prepared in mesoporous silica SBA-15 as a host matrix. The powder was annealed at a range of temperatures (500-900 degrees C) with heating rate 0.5 degrees C/min. The required NiZnFe2O4 phase was obtained at 700 degrees C. The specific surface area S-BET data revealed that the surface area of the mesoporous silica after annealing was decreased from 821 to 90 m(2)/g which indicated that the spinal ferrite fills the channels of mesoporous materials. The one-dimensional spinel nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and transmission electron microscopy before and after a selective removal of the silica template in aqueous solution of NaOH or HF. The presence of SBA-15 lowers the formation temperature of nickel zinc ferrite nanowires compared to the corresponding bulk material. The magnetic properties revealed a high saturation magnetization level (similar to 43 emu/g) for the Ni-Zn nanowires at 900 degrees C.