We report on the realization of particle size, morphology, and chemical composition controlled cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFO NPs) with tunable magnetic properties for application in electronic and electromagnetic devices. The effect of oleic acid concentration (0.0–0.1 M) on the structural, physical, chemical, electronic, and magnetic properties of solvothermally synthesized CFO NPs is investigated in detail by using the oleic acid (OA) based chemical method for synthesis. Crystalline, cubic, and chemically homogeneous CFO NPs (5–15 nm) can be obtained by controlling the OA concentration. Spectroscopic analyses revealed that the OA molecules form covalent bonds with CFO NPs. The particle-size control was achieved by bridging bidentate interactions between the OA molecules and CFO NPs. Detailed magnetic measurements revealed that the OA concentration helps to effectively control the magnetic behavior of particle-size-controlled CFO NPs. The interfacing between OA molecules and CFO surface atoms leads to modified magnetism which is the key to understand the underlying mechanisms and utilize magnetic nanoparticles in practical applications. The anisotropy constant variation directly with nanoparticle size indicates that the magnetocrystalline component governs the magnetic anisotropy in OA coated CFO. Removal of OA (after thermal treatment) induces enhanced magnetic anisotropy and exchange bias as consequence of surface component. The results and analyses suggest that the molecular coating of nanoparticles offers the most important and critical step to design novel nanostructured magnetic materials for current and emerging electronic device technologies.

A unique morphology-controlling protocol involving hydrothermal preprocessing before pyrolysis is presented to convert cellulosic waste in the form of sugarcane bagasse into three-dimensional (3D) interconnected, conducting, and high surface area carbon nanochannels. The large buffer spaces in such a porous carbon sample yield impressive electrochemical capacitance (C sp ) of 280 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g (and 275 F/g at 5 mV/s), with 72% retention even at a very high current density of 20 A/g. In contrast, the non-hydrothermally treated sample exhibits a C sp value of 180 F/g at 1 A/g and only 52% retention at 20 A/g. The much better performance of the hydrothermally preprocessed bagasse-derived carbon (BHAC) can be ascribed to the solvent retention inside the buffer spaces created, negating the diffusional limitations of pore inaccessibility at higher scan rates. The BHAC has a high surface area of 1260 m 2 /g with a fairly good (11 wt %) concentration of oxygen functionality. The material renders a good energy density of 5 Wh/kg at a power density of 3.5 kW/kg and shows good cyclability of 90% after 1000 charge/discharge cycles.

The transformation of the globular structures of yogurt into a porous high-capacitive carbon material, displaying the perfect double layer capacitive behavior.