Study of the spectroscopic, magnetic, and electrical behavior of PVDF/PEO blend incorporated with nickel ferrite (NiFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles

Pure nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NiFe 2 O 4 NPs) were prepared by the solvothermal method. Different concentrations of NiFe 2 O 4 were added to PVDF/PEO blend to prepare the PVDF/PEO-NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite films. The films were characterized using different techniques in detail. Pure NiFe 2 O 4 NPs images have a semispherical shape and roundness of the edges, with average particle size ~ 4.3–8.8 nm, and polycrystalline structure. Pure NiFe 2 O 4 NPs show that micrometrical agglomeration suggests the presence of pore-free crystallites on the surface. The spectroscopic techniques such as XRD, FTIR, and UV–visible have confirmed the interaction between PVDF/PEO and NiFe 2 O 4 NPs. Still, the nanocomposites exhibit a smooth surface with typical spherulitic clusters revealing the semi-crystalline structure of the PVDF/PEO-NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites. The values of ε ′ and ε ″ were increased as an increase of NiFe 2 O 4 due to the high value of dielectric permittivity of NiFe 2 O 4 . The appearance of semi-circles in the plot of M ″ with Log confirms the single phase of the samples. The dielectric measurements show that M ′ is inversely proportional to ε ′. At higher temperatures, M ′ levels off at frequencies higher than those at lower temperatures because the relaxation processes were spread over a range of frequencies. The values of saturation magnetization of PVDF/PEO-NiFe 2 O 4 films were linearly increased as an increase of NiFe 2 O 4 indicates improvement in the magnetic vector arrangement. Due to the enhancement of the magnetic properties, they can further exploit the films for magnetic applications.