Theoretical Investigation of Ag-Cu Functionalized Mnfe₂O₄ Nanostructures for Enhanced Gas Sensing Applications

Authors

Shivani

Physics Department, Maa shakumbhari University Saharanpur (India)

Suraj Kumar

Physics Department, Maa shakumbhari University Saharanpur (India)

Article Information

DOI: 10.51584/IJRIAS.2026.11060129

Subject Category: Education

Volume/Issue: 11/6 | Page No: 1680-1697

Publication Timeline

Submitted: 2026-06-12

Accepted: 2026-06-17

Published: 2026-07-01

Abstract

Gas sensing materials based on semiconductor nanostructures have attracted significant scientific attention because of their wide applications in environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and healthcare systems . Ferrite nanomaterials are considered promising candidates for sensing applications because of their remarkable magnetic, catalytic, and electrical properties. In the present theoretical investigation, Ag-Cu functionalized MnFe₂O₄ nanostructures are proposed as potential sensing materials for hazardous gas detection applications such as NH₃ and CO gases. The incorporation of Ag and Cu bimetallic nanoparticles onto MnFe₂O₄ surfaces is theoretically expected to improve catalytic activity, gas adsorption behaviour, and charge transfer mechanisms. The proposed nanocomposite system may be synthesized through a co-precipitation approach followed by chemical reduction-assisted surface functionalization. Structural and morphological characterization techniques such as XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, and UV-Visible spectroscopy are expected to confirm successful formation of the proposed Nano composites. Theoretical analysis suggests that Ag-Cu nanoparticles may significantly improve sensor sensitivity, selectivity, and response-recovery characteristics because of synergistic electronic interactions and enhanced surface adsorption processes. The sensing mechanism is expected to involve oxygen adsorption followed by electron depletion and resistance modulation during gas interaction. The present theoretical work may provide a useful framework for future experimental investigations involving ferrite-based bimetallic nanocomposite gas sensors.

Keywords

Gas Sensors, MnFe₂O₄ Nanostructures, Ag-Cu Nanoparticles, Spinel Ferrites, Semiconductor Sensors.

Downloads

References

1. N. Yamazoe, “Toward innovations of gas sensor technology,” Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 108, pp. 2-14, 2005. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. G. Korotcenkov, “Metal oxides for solid-state gas sensors,” Materials Science and Engineering B, vol. 139, pp. 1-23, 2007. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. C. Wang et al., “Metal oxide gas sensors: sensitivity and influencing factors,” Sensors, vol. 10, pp. 2088-2106, 2010. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. P. Sun et al., “Metal oxide nanostructures and their gas sensing properties,” Sensors, vol. 12, pp. 2610-2631, 2012. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. R. Valenzuela, Magnetic Ceramics, Cambridge University Press, 2005. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. S. D. Kulkarni et al., “Synthesis and characterization of MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles,” Journal of Materials Science, vol. 49, pp. 1234-1242, 2014. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. A. Sutka and K. A. Gross, “Spinel ferrite oxide semiconductor gas sensors,” Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 222, pp. 95-105, 2016. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. J. Huang et al., “Enhancement of gas sensing by noble metal nanoparticles,” Applied Surface Science, vol. 257, pp. 3485-3491, 2011. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. E. Comini et al., “Metal oxide nano-crystals for gas sensing,” Analytica Chimica Acta, vol. 568, pp. 28-40, 2006. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. J. Liu et al., “Bimetallic nanoparticles for sensing applications,” Nano Today, vol. 9, pp. 75-86, 2014. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. S. Guo and E. Wang, “Noble metal nanomaterials,” Nano Today, vol. 6, pp. 240-264, 2011. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. X. Chen et al., “Ag-Cu bimetallic nanostructures for enhanced sensing,” Materials Chemistry and Physics, vol. 215, pp. 260-268, 2018. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. A. Dey, “Semiconductor metal oxide gas sensors: A review,” Materials Science and Engineering B, vol. 229, pp. 206-217, 2018. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. M. A. Dar et al., “Studies on structural and magnetic properties of MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles,” Materials Chemistry and Physics, vol. 124, pp. 1198-1204, 2010. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. K. Galatsis et al., “Metal oxide gas sensor research for combustible gases,” Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 93, pp. 562-565, 2003. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. L. Xu et al., “Effect of particle size on gas sensing performance of ferrite nanoparticles,” Applied Surface Science, vol. 258, pp. 3142-3147, 2012. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. S. Basu and P. Bhattacharyya, “Recent developments on gas sensors,” Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 173, pp. 1-21, 2012. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. V. R. Shinde et al., “Enhanced gas sensing properties of doped ferrite nanoparticles,” Materials Letters, vol. 62, pp. 1239-1242, 2008. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. T. J. Dhoble et al., “Influence of transition metal doping on ferrite properties,” Ceramics International, vol. 39, pp. 8183-8189, 2013. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. J. Zhang et al., “Noble metal functionalized semiconductor gas sensors,” Sensors, vol. 13, pp. 7145-7171, 2013. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. M. Haruta, “Catalysis of gold nanoparticles,” Catalysis Today, vol. 36, pp. 153-166, 1997. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Y. Xia et al., “Bimetallic nanocrystals: synthesis and applications,” Angewandte Chemie, vol. 48, pp. 60-103, 2009. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. K. Patel et al., “Ag-Cu bimetallic catalysts for gas sensing enhancement,” Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, vol. 154, pp. 107-118, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. J. Wang et al., “Co-precipitation synthesis of MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles,” Materials Research Bulletin, vol. 45, pp. 2036-2041, 2010. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. C. N. R. Rao et al., Nanomaterials Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, 2007. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. G. Cao, Nanostructures and Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications, Imperial College Press, 2004. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. S. Sun et al., “Monodisperse ferrite nanoparticles synthesis,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 126, pp. 273-279, 2004. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. H. P. Klug and L. E. Alexander, X-ray Diffraction Procedures, Wiley, 1974. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Y. Deng et al., “Chemical reduction synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles,” Materials Letters, vol. 61, pp. 1198-1201, 2007. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Y. Li et al., “Bimetallic nanoparticle decorated ferrites for enhanced gas sensing,” Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 853, pp. 157-166, 2021. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. D. L. Bish and J. E. Post, Modern Powder Diffraction, Mineralogical Society of America, 1989. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. X. Chen et al., “Ag-Cu bimetallic nanostructures for enhanced sensing,” Materials Chemistry and Physics, vol. 215, pp. 260-268, 2018. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. B. D. Cullity and S. R. Stock, Elements of X-Ray Diffraction, 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, 2001. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. J. I. Langford and A. J. C. Wilson, “Scherrer formula for particle size determination,” Journal of Applied Crystallography, vol. 11, pp. 102-113, 1978. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. S. E. Shirsath et al., “Ferrite nanoparticles: synthesis and applications,” Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, vol. 321, pp. 939-948, 2009. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. H. Kim et al., “Silver-functionalized ferrite nanoparticles for enhanced gas sensing,” Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 192, pp. 607-614, 2014. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. R. D. Waldron, “Infrared spectra of ferrites,” Physical Review, vol. 99, pp. 1727-1735, 1955. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. S. Kumar et al., “Recent advances in ferrite nanomaterials for gas sensing applications,” Ceramics International, vol. 47, pp. 12545-12562, 2021. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. N. Barsan and U. Weimar, “Conduction model of metal oxide gas sensors,” Journal of Electroceramics, vol. 7, pp. 143-167, 2001. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. N. Yamazoe and K. Shimanoe, “Theory of semiconductor gas sensors,” Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 128, pp. 566-573, 2008. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Z. Chen et al., “Gas sensing properties of ferrite nanocomposites,” Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 185, pp. 631-637, 2013. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. A. Gupta et al., “Recent progress in semiconductor gas sensors,” Sensors and Diagnostics, vol. 3, pp. 15-31, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. J. Liu et al., “Bimetallic nanoparticles for sensing applications,” Nano Today, vol. 9, pp. 75-86, 2014. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. V. Kumar et al., “Advanced ferrite nanocomposites for industrial gas detection,” Applied Nanoscience, vol. 15, pp. 201-219, 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. R. Sharma et al., “Spinel ferrite nanomaterials for environmental monitoring,” Environmental Research, vol. 214, pp. 113-125, 2022. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. C. Suryanarayana and M. Grant Norton, X-ray Diffraction: A Practical Approach, Springer, 1998. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. M. Singh and A. Verma, “Ag-based nanocomposites for semiconductor gas sensors,” Materials Today Chemistry, vol. 19, pp. 100-112, 2021. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. H. Zhang et al., “Copper-based nanostructures for toxic gas detection,” Sensors, vol. 22, pp. 1120-1135, 2022. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. P. Mehta and S. Jain, “Surface engineered ferrite nanoparticles for ammonia sensing,” Journal of Electronic Materials, vol. 53, pp. 225-238, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

50. T. Roy et al., “Nanostructured ferrites: synthesis and sensing applications,” Advanced Powder Materials, vol. 2, pp. 100-118, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

51. S. Roy, A. Ghosh, and P. K. Basu, “Ferrite nanomaterials for gas sensing applications: Recent advances and future perspectives,” Ceramics International, vol. 49, pp. 11254-11272, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

52. R. Kumar and V. Singh, “Surface modification strategies for enhancing ferrite gas sensor performance,” Journal of Electronic Materials, vol. 52, pp. 4521-4538, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

53. Y. Zhao, X. Liu, and J. Wang, “Bimetallic nanoparticle decorated metal oxides for high-performance gas sensing,” Applied Surface Science, vol. 614, pp. 156123, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

54. A. Sharma, P. Verma, and N. Gupta, “Recent developments in ammonia gas sensing using ferrite nanostructures,” Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol. 381, pp. 133445, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

55. M. K. Singh and S. Tiwari, “Spinel ferrite nanocomposites for environmental monitoring applications,” Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, vol. 20, pp. 100802, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

56. H. Li, Y. Chen, and Q. Zhang, “Enhanced gas sensing characteristics of Ag-modified ferrite nanostructures,” Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 948, pp. 169813, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

57. P. Das and R. Chatterjee, “Copper nanoparticle functionalized ferrites for toxic gas detection,” Materials Chemistry and Physics, vol. 301, pp. 127574, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

58. S. Banerjee, A. Mondal, and K. Dutta, “Nanostructured ferrite materials for semiconductor gas sensor technology,” Advanced Powder Technology, vol. 35, pp. 104233, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

59. L. Zhang, J. Xu, and T. Wang, “Charge transfer mechanisms in noble metal decorated ferrite nanocomposites,” Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, vol. 26, pp. 10112-10128, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

60. D. Patel and S. Jain, “Role of heterojunction engineering in metal oxide gas sensors,” Materials Today Chemistry, vol. 31, pp. 101522, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

61. K. Verma, M. Yadav, and R. Sharma, “NH₃ sensing performance of ferrite-based nanomaterials: A review,” Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, vol. 35, pp. 1258-1276, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

62. F. Ahmed, N. Khan, and M. Rahman, “Metal oxide nanocomposites for carbon monoxide sensing applications,” Sensors, vol. 24, pp. 2415, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

63. T. Roy and A. Saha, “Ag-Cu bimetallic nanostructures for catalytic and sensing applications,” Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, vol. 173, pp. 108096, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

64. J. Park, H. Lee, and S. Kim, “Surface adsorption behavior of ferrite nanomaterials toward reducing gases,” Applied Nanoscience, vol. 14, pp. 1891-1905, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

65. V. Mehta and P. Agarwal, “Advanced ferrite nanocomposites for next-generation gas sensing devices,” Journal of Nanoparticle Research, vol. 26, pp. 112, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

66. S. R. Kulkarni and P. Patil, “Influence of crystallite size on ferrite gas sensor performance,” Materials Letters, vol. 365, pp. 136345, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

67. C. Wang, Y. Zhou, and X. Li, “Gas adsorption and sensing mechanisms of ferrite nanostructures: A theoretical approach,” Surface Science Reports, vol. 79, pp. 100612, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

68. A. Kumar, N. Sharma, and P. Singh, “Optical band gap engineering in ferrite nanocomposites for sensing applications,” Optical Materials, vol. 148, pp. 114781, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

69. H. Gupta and S. K. Sharma, “Bimetallic nanoparticle induced enhancement in semiconductor gas sensors,” Sensors and Diagnostics, vol. 4, pp. 215-232, 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

70. R. Jain, M. Saxena, and V. Kumar, “Recent progress in ferrite-based nanostructured gas sensors for industrial safety applications,” Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 35, pp. 2501123, 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

Metrics

Views & Downloads

Similar Articles