The effect of fuel on the physiochemical properties of ZnFe₂O₄ synthesized by solution combustion method

The synthesis of ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was performed using the solution combustion method with three types of fuel, namely urea, glycine, and ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) with precursors (Zn(NO₃)₂.6H₂O and Fe(NO₃)₃.9H₂O. The combustion process was conducted in an open space at 300 °C for ± 1 h, resulting in a brownish-black ZnFe₂O₄. Meanwhile, the fuel type used in the process affects the physicochemical properties of ZnFe₂O₄. XRD analysis showed that ZnFe₂O₄ synthesized using urea, glycine, and EDTA had spinel structures with crystal sizes of 10.19, 20.34, and 27.21 nm, respectively. The FTIR spectra of ZnFe₂O₄ synthesized using the three fuel types had Zn-O and Fe-O stretching vibrations. Furthermore, the morphology of ZnFe₂O₄ synthesized using urea was more homogeneous than glycine and EDTA. The saturation magnetization of ZnFe₂O₄ synthesized using EDTA was 54.63 emu/g compared to glycine and urea, 50.93 and 44.73 emu/g, respectively. Finally, the surface area of synthesized ZnFe₂O₄ using urea, glycine, and EDTA were 116.4, 100.6, and 94.2 m²/g, respectively.