Spinel Magnesium Ferrite (MgFe2O4): A Glycine-Assisted Colloidal Combustion and Its Potentiality in Gas-Sensing Application

Abstract

Herein, we describe the facile synthesis of spinel MgFe2O4 ferrite and its potential use as a gas sensor using a straightforward and reliable sol–gel approach, i.e., the glycine-assisted auto-combustion route. The novelty in obtaining the sensing material via the auto-combustion route is its inherent simplicity and capability to produce the material at an industry scale. The said cost-effective process makes use of simple metal salts (Mg and Fe-nitrates) and glycine in an aqueous solution, which leads to the formation of spinel MgFe2O4 ferrite. A single-phase crystallinity with crystallite sizes ranging between 36 and 41 nm was observed for the synthesized materials using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The porous morphologies of the synthesized materials caused by auto-ignition during the combustion process were validated by the microscopic investigations. The EDS analysis confirmed the constituted elements such as Mg, Fe, and O, without any impurity peaks. The gas-sensing ability of the synthesized ferrites was examined to detect various reducing gases such as LPG, ethanol, acetone, and ammonia. The ferrite showed the highest response (>80%) toward LPG with the response and recovery times of 15 s and 23 s, respectively. Though the sensor responded low toward ammonia (~30%), its response and recovery times were very quick, i.e., 7 s and 9 s, respectively. The present investigation revealed that the synthesized ferrite materials are good candidates for fabricating high-performance sensors for reducing gases in real-world applications.

Synthesis of magnesium ferrite by combustion of glycine-nitrate gel: the influence of reagents on the gel-precursor and the microstructure of nanopowders

“…Ferrites with a spinel structure have attracted the interest of researchers for many years due to their combination of magnetic and electrical properties, chemical and thermal stability, and low toxicity. One of the representatives of this class of compounds is magnesium ferrite MgFe 2 O 4 -a soft magnetic semiconductor material that is used in heterogeneous catalysis, the production of sensors, microelectronics and medicine [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The magnetic characteristics of this ferrite, and therefore the possibility of its practical use, largely depend on the particle size, degree of crystallinity and morphological homogeneity.…”

Annealing Temperature Effects on Humidity Sensor Properties for Mg0.5W0.5Fe2O4 Spinel Ferrite

“…A range of investigation approaches, e.g., theoretical, experimental and applicative, have been applied to ceramic materials due to their wide ranging applications [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Magnesium spinel ferrite is a remarkable type of ceramic material due to its properties, e.g., magnetization, coercivity, remanence, permeability, drug delivery and electrical conductivity [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. One current goal of research groups is to find different ways to control and improve the dielectric parameters of this compound to make it much attractive from a non-magnetic perspective.…”