Osamong, GideonKamweru, Paul KuriaGichumbi, Joel MwangiNdiritu, Francis Gichuki2023-02-202023-02-202020http://repository.chuka.ac.ke/handle/chuka/15518Optical, electrical, and electronic properties of materials are essential in the fabrication of electronic devices. These properties can be improved through doping and reduction of the size of a material to nanoscale. In this study, copper doped magnesium-nickel (CuxMg1-xNiFe2O4, for x=0.00, 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.75, 1.00) ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized using the citragel auto combustion method. The electronic and optical properties were evaluated using the scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) and UVvisible, respectively. The UV-visible studies revealed that, the band gap energy was at the range of 3.600-3.750 eV. The band gap was noted to increase with copper content up to x=0.45 which then started to decrease. The undoped sample displayed the lowest band gap energy in comparison with the doped. SKPM analysis exhibited the surface potential in the range 4.361-5.002 eV for the area scan and 4.251-5.006 eV for the line scans for the samples. The sample with x=0.75 showed a positive work function for both area and line scans, and all the others had a negative work function. The doped ferrite exhibited the properties that could be applied in optical devices, storage devices, and recording devices. © 2021 by SPC (Sami Publishing Company), Asian Journal of Nanoscience and Materials, Reproduction is permitted for noncommercial purposesenBand gap energyFermi levelSurface potentialNanoferritesArticle