Tunable properties of GO-doped CoFe2O4 nanofibers elaborated by electrospinning

Abstract

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) one-dimensional nanofibers doped with graphene oxide (GO) were successfully synthesized for the first time via an electrospinning technique. The as-spun nanofibers were calcined at 600 °C for 3 h with a slow heating rate of 2 °C min⁻¹. Their morphological and structural properties were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Raman spectroscopy. All GO-doped CoFe₂O₄ fibers possessed a pure spinel structure. The average fiber diameter and grain size were influenced by the GO weight amount. The effect of the graphene oxide incorporation on the magnetic properties of the fibers was investigated by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry. At room temperature, a slight enhancement of the saturation magnetization was detected while increasing the GO amount. Therefore, doping with GO is able to tune the magnetic properties of the CoFe₂O₄ fibers elaborated by the electrospinning technique.