Crystal chemistry and single-phase synthesis of Gd3+ substituted Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles for enhanced magnetic properties

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 8; no. 44; pp. 25258 - 25267
• Main Authors: Pawar, R A, Patange, Sunil M, Shitre, A R, Gore, S K, Jadhav, S S, Shirsath, Sagar E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 01.01.2018; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Cobalt; Coercivity; Gadolinium; Lattice vibration; Magnetic properties; Magnetic recording; Magnetic saturation; Magnetic storage; Magnetism; Magnetization; Material properties; Mossbauer spectroscopy; Nanoparticles; Organic chemistry; Permanent magnets; Rare earth elements; Recording instruments; Spinel; Substitutes; Temperature dependence; Vibration measurement; X-ray diffraction; Zinc; Zinc ferrites
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c8ra04282a

Rare earth (RE) ions are known to improve the magnetic interactions in spinel ferrites if they are accommodated in the lattice, whereas the formation of a secondary phase leads to the degradation of the magnetic properties of materials. Therefore, it is necessary to solubilize the RE ions in a spinel lattice to get the most benefit. In this context, this work describes the synthesis of Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles and the Gd3+ doping effect on the tuning of their magnetic properties. The modified sol–gel synthesis approach offered a facile way to synthesize ferrite nanoparticles using water as the solvent. X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement confirmed that both pure Co–Zn ferrite and Gd3+ substituted Co–Zn ferrite maintained single-phase cubic spinel structures. Energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to determine the elemental compositions of the nanoparticles. Field and temperature dependent magnetic characteristics were measured by employing a vibration sample magnetometer in field cooled (FC)/zero field cooled (ZFC) modes. Magnetic interactions were also determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The saturation magnetization and coercivity of Co–Zn ferrite were improved with the Gd3+ substitution due to the Gd3+ (4f7)–Fe3+ (3d5) interactions. The increase in magnetization and coercivity makes these Gd3+ substituted materials applicable for use in magnetic recording media and permanent magnets.