Monodispersed nanocrystalline Co1-xZnxFe2O4 particles by forced hydrolysis:: Synthesis and characterization

Zinc-substituted cobalt ferrites, Co1-xZnxFe2O4, were for the first time successfully prepared by forced hydrolysis method. The obtained materials are single phase, monodispersed nanocrystalline with an average grain size of about 3 nm. These materials are superparamagnetic at room temperature and ferrimagnetic at temperature lower than the blocking temperature. When the zinc substitution increases from x = 0 to 0.4, at 4.2 K, the saturation magnetization increases from 72.1 to 99.7 emu/g. The high saturation magnetization of these samples suggests that this method is suitable for preparing high-quality nanocrystalline magnetic ferrites for practical applications. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.