Sunaryono, Muchlis Fajar Hidayat, Mimin Nurul Kholifah, Ahmad Taufiq, Aripriharta, Nandang Mufti, Markus Diantoro, Siriwat Soontaranon, Darminto
Ferrogels based on polyvinylpyrrolidone/polyvinyl alcohol (PVP/PVA) matrices with Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–polyethylene glycol (Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG) were synthesized using the freezing–thawing method. The phase structure and morphology of ferrogels with Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG filler were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG/PVP/PVA ferrogel was characterized using small-angle X-ray scattering to determine the distribution of Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG nanoparticles through two-lognormal data analysis; the semicrystallite distribution of the PVP/PVA was investigated using the Beaucage and Teubner–Strey models. The optical and electrical properties of the Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG nanoparticles were characterized using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The XRD analysis showed that the Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG exhibits an inverse-spinel cubic structure with an average particle size of 10.2 nm. This result was corroborated by TEM analysis, which revealed an average size of 10.9 nm through the Image-J software analysis. The two-lognormal method was used to analyze the distribution of Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG nanoparticles in the ferrogel, revealing a secondary particle size of approximately 9.8 nm. These secondary particles are, on average, evenly arranged with respect to the primary particles with a diameter of 3.3 nm. UV–Vis data analysis showed that the refractive index and energy gap of the Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG nanoparticles were approximately 2.79 and 2.24 eV, respectively. The optical conductivity and electrical conductivity calculated from the refractive-index and energy-gap data were 1.27 × 108 and 70 Ω−1 cm−1, respectively. These results indicate that the Mn0.6Fe2.4O4–PEG nanoparticles exhibit strong potential for use as a base material in optoelectronics applications. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No. 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Centre of Advanced Materials for Renewable Energy (CAMRY), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No. 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UniversitasNegeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No. 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI), 111 University Venue, Muang District, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Kampus ITS Sukolilo, Surabaya, 60111, Indonesia
