Surface wettability, electrochemical, and magnetic behavior of ternary M-Cu-Fe oxide (M: Li, Mg, Cr) nanocomposites

In this study, a novel M-Fe-Cu (M: Li, Mg, Cr) mixed metal oxide nanocomposite thin films were deposited by sol–gel spin coating method. The effects of Li, Mg, and Cr incorporation on the physical and electrochemical properties of α-Fe 2 O 3 -CuO thin films were investigated. The structural properties of the prepared films revealed the formation of ternary composites with multiple phases. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images displayed different, cohesive, and crack-free surfaces for all the samples. The FESEM analysis shows that the Cr-Fe-Cu oxides film has the smoothest surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that the topography and surface parameters changed with the presence of Li, Mg, and Cr elements in the Fe 2 O 3 -CuO nanocomposite thin films. The Cr-Fe-Cu oxides thin film demonstrated distinguished wettability properties, nearly a superhydrophilic surface (contact angle