ENHANCED MAGNETIZATION IN COBALT SUBSTITUTED Ni–Zn NANOFERRITES

Abstract

Cobalt substituted nickel zinc ferrite nanoparticles ( Ni 0.65–x Co x Zn 0.35 Fe 2.0 O 4) X varying from 0.0 to 0.65 in steps of 0.15 have been produced using sol–gel method, with PVA as chelating agent. The phase formation of the sintered ferrite was confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. The lattice parameter a(A°) has been calculated using Nelson–Riley method. The crystallite size has been estimated by the Williamson–Hall method using the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the line broadening of all the peaks. Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) of the samples showed the clear presence of two sextets and distribution of iron over the two sites has been given. Increase in saturation magnetization with cobalt concentration with a slight decrease for x = 0.15 has been observed with the vibrating sample magnetometry study. The observed value of magnetization for Ni0.65Zn0.35Fe2O4 with a particle size of 43.5 nm has been 71 emu/gm at room temperature, which is higher than that reported for samples prepared using chemical methods of the same composition. The results have been explained on the basis of the particle size and cation distribution among various sites.