Investigation of structural and microbial properties of samarium-doped nickel-strontium ferrite nanoparticles prepared via the sol-gel route

Abstract Nickel and Samarium-doped strontium ferrite nanoparticles were synthesised using the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The micro-structural characteristics of the ferrite were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The particle size was determined to be between 30 and 60 nm. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) revealed a strong magnetization with paramagnetic behaviour, and the existence of all elements was verified by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). According to the BET adsorption isotherm, total surface area ranges from 13.77 m2g-1 to 28.49 m2g-1. At P/Po (0.99), the total pore volume ranges from 0.02 cm3g-1 to 0.04 cm3g-1. The average pore width ranged from 3.5 nm to 6.5 nm, and the isotherm demonstrates type III with an H3 hysteresis loop. The material shows 84% thermal stability and these synthesized nanoparticles are showing activity against both Gram Positive and Gram-Negative bacterial pathogens.