Calcination Effect on the Photoluminescence, Optical, Structural, and Magnetic Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol Doped ZnFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles

Spinel ferrite based nanoparticle material has been at the forefront of contemporary nanotechnology for use in various industrial and biomedical applications. The preparation and characterization of zinc ferrite nanoparticles (ZFNPs) doped with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are reported in this work. The formulated ZFNP/PVAs were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The XRD established the cubic spinel crystal structure of the as-prepared and calcined sample with an increase in the crystallite size after the calcination. The SEM analysis showed a spherical morphology within the range of 10-40 nm after calcination. The bandgap energy was enhanced after calcination. The PL analysis revealed a prominent peak in the UV band, which showed the characteristics of the formulated nanostructure. Transformation to a superparamagnetic nature was observed after calcination. It is noteworthy that after calcination of the formulated ZFNP/PVAs, the structural, optical, bandgap energy, morphology, photoluminescence and the magnetic properties were influenced and enhanced for various applications, chiefly for hyperthermia, magnetic resonance imaging, drug delivery and allied disciplines.