Structural and magnetic characterization and cation distribution of nanocrystalline CoxFe3-xO4 ferrites

Structural and magnetic properties have been investigated for CoxFe3-xO4 nanoferrites (x=0.5-1.2, with a step increment of 0.1) prepared by a citrate-precursor autocombustion method. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FUR) spectra prove the formation of a cubic spinet phase of CoFe2O4, besides x-dependent FeCo2O4 spinet for samples with x >= 0.7. Size of the formed nano-crystals ranges from 34 to 45 nm, which is further confirmed with a TEM micrograph. Investigating magnetic parameters such as saturation magnetization, coercivity, and remanence field, through vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) data, revealed a strong dependence of the magnetic properties of each sample on its own cation distribution being suggested according to the experimental results of XRD, VSM, and IR data. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.