Nickel-substituted copper ferrite nanoparticles (NP) (Cu1-xNixFe2O4) were prepared using a cost-effective hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed a single-phase cubic spinel structure. The increase in lattice parameters and decrease in crystallite size are associated with the replacement of Cu ions by Ni ions in the host lattice of copper ferrite. The optimized Cu0.95Ni0.05Fe2O4 composition was subsequently annealed at 750 °C and 850 °C for further studies. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis shows the existence of two promising fundamental adsorption peaks at 465 and 582 cm-1, related to the metal ion stretching vibrations at the tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites, respectively. The local disorder at both the A and B sublattices upon the incorporation of Ni was observed from the Raman analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) images shows the formation of agglomerates composed of nano-sized spherical particles. A high Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) surface area was achieved 17.25 m2/g with a particle stability of -11.1 mV obtained by the zeta potential. Both the dielectric loss and dielectric constant are decreased, whereas the AC conductivity gets increased with increasing frequency. The magnetization-field hysteresis curves exhibited ferromagnetic behavior with a pseudo-single domain, and the cyclic voltammetry study revealed a pseudocapacitive trend. This study highlights the importance of Ni substitution to control the physicochemical properties of spinel-phase CuFe2O4 for diverse applications, such as energy storage and lithium-ion batteries.
Pollen micro-morphological features have proven to be helpful for the plant taxonomists in the identification and classification of plants. The utilization of this plantmayhelpfulin the areas of lignocellulosic conversion to biofuels and diversify application toward biomass. The current study was planned with the aim to evaluate the pollen features of complex Ranunculaceous flora of District Chitral, Northern Pakistan using both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Light Microscope (LM) for their taxonomic importance. Pollens of 18 Ranunculaceous species belonging to 6 genera were collected from different localities of the research area. SEM and LM were used to examine both qualitative and quantitative micro-morphological features. Sculptring of the sexine include; Scabrate, psilate, echinate, verrucate, perforate gemmate, and reticulate and so forth. Shape of the pollens was sub-spheroidal, spheroidal, prolate, subprolate and oblate and so forth. Type of pollen was ranged from mono to tricolpate and tricolporate. Quantitative characters include length/width of the pollen, colpus, exine thickness, and P/E ratio. Based on these micro-morphological features a taxonomic key was prepared for the fast and correct identification. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Study of the pollen micro-morphological features of Ranunculaceous species by SEM and LM. Analysing both qualitative and quantitative characters of the pollens. Preparation of taxonomic key based on micro-morphological features for the correct and fast identification.