Multiferroic properties and Mossbauer Study of M-type hexaferrite PbFe12O19 synthesized by the high energy ball milling

M-type hexaferrite PbFe12O19 nano-crystallites with an average diameter of 68 nm are synthesized by high energy ball milling method. The Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern has confirmed the single-phase magnetoplumbite (M) structure of the sample with the space group P63/mmc. Surface morphology is analyzed using transmission and field emission scanning electron microscopes (TEM and FE-SEM). Dielectric studies revealed ferro- to antiferro- and antiferro- to paraelectric transitions. Initial permeability is found to be invariant with temperature and frequency. Small polaron hopping is found to be the prominent conduction mechanism. The room temperature Mo center dot ssbauer spectrum showed a superposition of five sextets (Zeeman splitting patterns) associated with the five sites of the iron ions, which are ferric (Fe3+) state. The values of the hyperfine magnetic fields are found to be 51.12, 50.8, 48.95, 41.15, and 40.11 Tesla corresponding to the 4f2 down arrow, 2a up arrow, 4f1 down arrow, 12 k up arrow, and 2b up arrow sites, respectively.

Automated summary

M-type hexaferrite PbFe12O19 nano-crystallites with an average diameter of 68 nm were synthesized via high energy ball milling method. The XRD analysis confirmed the single-phase magnetoplumbite structure, and dielectric studies revealed ferro- to antiferro- and antiferro- to paraelectric transitions. Room temperature Mössbauer spectrum showed five Zeeman splitting patterns corresponding to different iron ion sites.