Mechanosynthesis, crystal structure and magnetic characterization of M-type SrFe12O19

M-type strontium hexaferrite was prepared by mechanosynthesis using high-energy ball milling. The influence of milling parameters, hematite excess and annealing temperature on magnetic properties of SrFe12O19 were investigated. Commercial iron and strontium oxides were used as starting materials. It was found that mechanical milling followed by an annealing treatment at low temperature (700 degrees C) promotes the complete structural transformation to Sr-hexaferrite phase. For samples annealed at temperatures from 700 to 1000 degrees C, saturation magnetization values (M-s) are more sensitive to annealing temperature than coercivity values (H-c). The maximum M-s of 60 emu/g and H-c of 5.2 kOe were obtained in mixtures of powders milled for 5 h and subsequently annealed at 700 degrees C. An increase in the annealing temperature produces negligible changes in magnetic saturation and coercivity. An excess of hematite as a second phase produces a slight decrease in the saturation magnetization but leads to a significant increase in coercive field, reaching 6.6 kOe. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.