Evidence of magnetism in electrospun PbFe12O19 nanofibers

One-dimensional lead hexaferrite (PbFe12O19) nanofibers are produced using electrospinning technology combined with sol-gel followed by muffle furnace heating. PVP/DMF is used as reductant to form precursor solution for lead hexaferrite nanofiber. Polycrystalline nanofibers with an average diameter of 145 nm have been prepared by electrospinning method. The structural features of the sintered nanofibers are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDX. The obtained PbFe12O19 nanofibers showed a hexagonal structure after sintering. The SEM image clearly shows the fibrous morphology of PbFe12O19. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) revealed very low coercivity and fairly high saturation magnetization. The fiber exhibited a ferromagnetic behaviour at room temperature, which is attributed to the nanometre-size of PbFe12O19 nanofibers.