Process of synthesizing high saturation magnetization Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 by microwave assisted ball milling

Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 was synthesized through only one step by microwave assisted ball milling at low temperature. The synthesized particles are well dispersed and the crystalline structures are perfect without disorder layer observed near the surface of nano-crystal. Microwave induced the formation of Fe2O3 and in this process intense heat was released, providing activation energy for further reactions. The ball milling process not only enables the constant dissolution of oxygen into the reacting solution but also creates exfoliation of produced Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles from the surface of the milling balls or precursor Fe particles, exposing new iron surfaces for continued reaction. Microwave assisted ball milling improves the solution conductivity and reactivity, it may be responsible for the variety of the solution temperatures increasing speed in microwave field. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.