Iron oxide nanoparticles, especially hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) have attained substantial research interest in various applications of green and sustainable energy harnessing owing to their exceptional opto-magneto-electrical characteristics and non-toxicity. In this study, we synthesized high-purity hematite and magnetite nanoparticles from a facile top-down approach by employing a high-energy ball mill followed by ultrasonication. A systematic investigation was then carried out to explore the structural, morphological, thermal, optoelectrical, and magnetic properties of the synthesized samples. The experimental results from scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction corroborated the formation of highly crystalline hematite and magnetite nanoparticles with average sizes of ~80 nm and ~50 nm, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed remarkable results on the thermal stability of the newly synthesized samples. The optical studies confirmed the formation of a single-phase compound with the bandgaps dependent on the size of the nanoparticles. The electrochemical studies that utilized cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques verified these iron oxide nanoparticles as electroactive species which can enhance the charge transfer process with high mobility. The hysteresis curves of the samples revealed the paramagnetic behavior of the samples with high values of coercivity. Thus, these optimized materials can be recommended for use in future optoelectronic devices and can prove to be potential candidates in the advanced research of new optoelectronic materials for improved energy devices.

Conductive polymers have become a remarkable candidate for electrode materials of supercapacitors. Polyaniline (PANI) is the most promising contender for supercapacitors because of its easy method of synthesis, low cost, and higher choice in the improvement of energy storage applications. The main issue in the use of PANI in supercapacitors is its lower stability. In this work, [email protected]–Ni codoped Co₃O₄ ([email protected]) nanocomposite has been prepared by in situ addition of 10 wt % FNCO as fillers in the PANI matrix. The nanocomposites were then characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry to observe the morphology, crystal structure, functional groups, and thermal stability of samples, respectively. SEM results showed that FNCO was fairly dispersed in the PANI matrix, while XRD results showed a broad peak for nanocomposites because of the semicrystalline nature of polymers. The electrochemical properties of the samples were analyzed via cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge and discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. [email protected] nanowires are found to overcome the shortcomings in electrochemical energy storage devices by exhibiting a higher value of specific capacitance of 1171 F g^–1 and energy density of 144 W h kg^–1 at a current density of 1 A g^–1. Moreover, the FNCO nanowires also showed a cyclic charge/discharge stability of 84% for 2000 cycles.