Structural, magnetic and hyperfine properties of single-phase SrFe12O19 nanoparticles prepared by a sol-gel route

Single-phase nanocrystalline strontium hexaferrite (SrFe12O19) powders have been synthesized by a sol-gel method and their structural, magnetic and hyperfine properties are discussed. The optimum annealing temperature of the as-prepared gel for formation of the single-phase SrFe12O19 structure has been found to be 800 degrees C. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared studies confirmed formation of the hexaferrite phase. The cation distribution at crystallographic inequivalent sites of the hexaferrite structure has been examined by Fe-57 Mossbauer spectroscopy and found to be identical to that reported earlier. Single-phase SrFe12O19 nanoparticles (NPs) showed a magnetic hysteresis loop with high coercivity and saturation magnetization denoting an irreversible magnetization character. The temperature dependent magnetization measurements reveal a difference between the zero-field-cooled and field-cooled curves throughout the measurement range 5-300 K that is attributed to superparamagnetic relaxation of finer hexaferrite particles and disordered spins at the surface of the NPs. Both hyperfine and magnetic studies confirm that magnetic anisotropy plays a crucial role in hexaferrite NPs.