Study of magnetic and structural properties of ferrofluids based on cobalt-zinc ferrite nanoparticles

Ferrofluids are colloidal systems composed of a single domain of magnetic nanoparticles with a mean diameter around 30 nm, dispersed in a liquid carrier. Magnetic Co_(1−x)Zn_xFe₂O₄ (x=0.25, 0.50, 0.75) ferrite nanoparticles were prepared via co-precipitation method from aqueous salt solutions in an alkaline medium. The composition and structure of the samples were characterized through Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) studies permitted determining nanoparticle size; grain size of nanoparticle conglomerates was established via Atomic Force Microscopy. The magnetic behavior of ferrofluids was characterized by Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM); and finally, a magnetic force microscope was used to visualize the magnetic domains of Co_(1−x)Zn_xFe₂O₄ nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction patterns of Co_(1−x)Zn_xFe₂O₄ show the presence of the most intense peak corresponding to the (311) crystallographic orientation of the spinel phase of CoFe₂O₄. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy confirmed the presence of the bonds associated to the spinel structures; particularly for ferrites. The mean size of the crystallite of nanoparticles determined from the full-width at half maximum of the strongest reflection of the (311) peak by using the Scherrer approximation diminished from (9.5±0.3) nm to (5.4±0.2) nm when the Zn concentration increases from 0.21 to 0.75. The size of the Co-Zn ferrite nanoparticles obtained by TEM is in good agreement with the crystallite size calculated from X-ray diffraction patterns, using Scherer's formula. The magnetic properties investigated with the aid of a VSM at room temperature presented super-paramagnetic behavior, determined by the shape of the hysteresis loop. In this study, we established that the coercive field of Co_(1−x)Zn_xFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, the crystal and nanoparticle sizes determined by X-ray Diffraction and TEM, respectively, decrease with the increase of the Zn at%. Finally, our magnetic nanoparticles are not very hard magnetic materials given that the hysteresis loop is small and for this reason Co_(1−x)Zn_xFe₂O₄ nanoparticles are considered as soft magnetic material.