Rietveld structure refinement, cations distribution and magnetic features of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation, hydrothermal, and combustion methods

Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation, hydrothermal and sol gel auto-combustion methods. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were used to investigate the structural characteristics and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite nanocrystals. X-ray patterns revealed the production of a broad single cubic phase with the average crystallite size of 16, 18 and 178 nm for co precipitation, hydrothermal and combustion methods, respectively. The FTIR measurements between 400 and 4000 cm(-1) confirmed the intrinsic cation vibrations of spinel structure. The FE-SEM micrographs of the synthesized samples indicated the presence of two distinct groups of grains exhibiting different sizes and, different shapes for hydrothermal route. The results of magnetic hysteresis at a room temperature showed that the magnetic properties depend on the particle size and shape of particles, whereas the role of particle size is more significant. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.