Study of the influence of phase composition variation in (1-x)Fe3O4 – xZnO nanocomposites on the inhibition of corrosion mechanisms

Abstract

The paper presents the results of studies of the influence of changes in the phase composition of (1-x)Fe₃O₄ – xZnO nanocomposites on the resistance to corrosion processes that occur when nanoparticles come into contact with model phosphate buffer solutions that simulate the physiological environment of the body. A comparative analysis of the results at 25 °C and 45 °C makes it possible to conclude that temperature is the determining factor controlling the degree of structural changes of the spinel phase in a liquid medium. At room temperature, the nanocomposites exhibit high crystal chemical stability, whereas at 45 °C a gradual evolution of the cation distribution, leading to an increase in the inversion degree and an increase in cationic disorder in the structure of ZnFe₂O₄ spinel, is observed. During the conducted studies, it was established that the growth in the content of the amorphous phase correlates with the recorded increase in the degree of inversion of the spinel phase and the growth of cationic disorder, which indicates a single degradation mechanism, including cation migration, defect formation and partial amorphization of the structure. Moreover, even under the most severe degradation conditions (45 °C, 7 days), the total proportion of amorphous inclusions remains limited, which confirms the satisfactory structural stability of the studied nanocomposites.