Structural, microstructural and magnetic properties of NiFe2O4, CoFe2O4 and MnFe2O4 nanoferrite thin films

The structural, microstructural and magnetic properties of nanoferrite NiFe₂O₄ (NF), CoFe₂O₄ (CF) and MnFe₂O₄ (MF) thin films have been studied. The coating solution of these ferrite films was prepared by a chemical synthesis route called sol-gel combined metallo-organic decomposition method. The solution was coated on Si substrate by spin coating and annealed at 700 °C for 3 h. X-ray diffraction pattern has been used to analyze the phase structure and lattice parameters. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to show the nanostructural behavior of these ferrites. The values of average grain's size from SEM are 44, 60 and 74 nm, and from AFM are 46, 61 and 75 nm, respectively, measured for NF, CF and MF ferrites. At room temperature, the values of saturation magnetization, M_s∼50.60, 33.52 and 5.40 emu/cc, and remanent magnetization, M_r∼14.33, 15.50 and 1.10 emu/cc, respectively, are observed for NF, CF and MF. At low temperature measurements of 10 K, the anisotropy of ferromagnetism is observed in these ferrite films. The superparamagnetic/paramagnetic behavior is also confirmed by χ′(T) curves of AC susceptibility by applying DC magnetizing field of 3 Oe. The temperature dependent magnetization measurements show the magnetic phase transition temperature.     

Magnetic anisotropic properties in Fe3O4 and CoFe2O4 ferrite epitaxy thin films

Epitaxial thin films of Fe₃O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ on MgO (0 0 1) substrates were grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low temperature growth process. Magnetization and hysteresis loop of both films were measured to investigate magnetic anisotropic properties at various temperatures. Anomalous magnetic properties are found to be correlated with crystalline, shape, and stress anisotropies. The Fe₃O₄ film below Verwey structural transition has a change in crystal structure, thus causing many anomalous magnetic properties. Crystalline anisotropy and anomalous magnetic properties are affected substantially by Co ions. The saturation magnetization of Co–ferrite film becomes much lower than that of Fe₃O₄ film, being very different from the bulks. It indicates that the low temperature growth process could not provide enough energy to have the lowest energy state.     

Investigation of structural and magnetic properties of Ni, NiFe and NiFe2O4 thin films

Soft magnetic thin films of Ni, NiFe and NiFe₂O₄ were prepared using reactive magnetron sputtering in various deposition conditions. Experimentally observed soft magnetic property was compared and correlated with nanocrystalline structure evolution. Ni and NiFe deposited films are textured with fcc(111) phase preferred orientation. Accordingly, grain size and lattice parameter were calculated from X-ray diffraction (111) peak line width and 2θ peak position. Addition of reactive gas oxygen in deposition process has substantial effect on crystalline structure of film. There is phase transition from the ordered NiFe (111) structure to the NiFe₂O₄ nanocrystalline phase. The resulting film has shown small X-ray diffraction intensity peak corresponding to (311) and (400) orientation, indicating small amount of existing NiFe₂O₄ phase. The mechanism has been discussed to be responsible for nanocrystallization and amorphization of NiFe₂O₄ films. Magnetic measurement (M-H) loop reveal soft magnetic nature of films with magnetic anisotropy. The coercivity (H_c) of films is in accordance with random anisotropy model, where H_c reduced with grain size. The structural transformation was supported by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy measurement. The films are highly smooth with surface roughness in the range of ∼0.53-0.93 nm. NiFe₂O₄ films have shown lowest surface roughness with highest electrical resistivity values. The structural, surface, magnetic and infrared spectroscopy results are observed and analyzed.     

Enhanced magneto-optical Kerr effects in nanocrystalline Sc-doped CoFe2O4 thin films

Nanocrystalline CoFe_2−xSc_xO₄ (x=0-0.4) thin films were prepared on silicon substrates at reduced temperature by a sol-gel process, and the doping effects of scandium on the microstructure, magnetism and polar magneto-optical Kerr effects of the as-deposited films were examined. It was shown that the intensities of both of the Kerr rotation peaks increase with the doping content x of Sc³⁺. The increase for the peak at 540 nm is due to the decrease of the electrostatic polarization of O²⁻ resulting from the relatively large radius of Sc³⁺, and that for the peak at 620 nm was a result of the migration of Co²⁺ from octahedral to tetrahedral sites in the presence of the dopant of Sc³⁺.     

Multiferroic properties of Bi0.8La0.2FeO3/CoFe2O4 multilayer thin films

Bi_0.8La_0.2FeO₃/CoFe₂O₄ (BLFO/CFO) multilayer thin films (totally 20 layers BLFO and 19 layers CFO) were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope measurements show that the films are polycrystalline and consisted of multilayered structure. Ferroelectric hysteresis loops with remnant polarization and saturated polarization of 4.2 and 13.3 μC/cm², respectively, were observed. On the other hand, the films show well-shaped magnetization hysteresis loops with saturated and remnant magnetization of 34.7 and 11.4 emu/cm³, respectively, which are significantly larger than pure BLFO thin films deposited under the same conditions. These results indicate that constructing epitaxial superlattice might be a promising way to fabricate multiferroics with improved properties.     

Effects of Mn substitution of Co and Fe in spinel CoFe2O4 thin films

Effects of Mn substitution for Co and Fe on the structural and magnetic properties of inverse-spinel CoFe₂O₄ have been investigated. Mn_xCo_1−xFe₂O₄ and Mn_yCoFe_2−yO₄ thin films were prepared by a sol–gel method. The observed increase of the lattice constant of Mn_xCo_1−xFe₂O₄ indicates that Mn²⁺ ions substitute the octahedral Co²⁺ sites. Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy data indicate that a fraction of octahedral Co²⁺ ions exchange sites with tetrahedral Fe³⁺ ions through Mn doping. Vibrating-sample magnetometry data exhibit a large increase of saturation magnetization for both Mn_xCo_1−xFe₂O₄ and Mn_yCoFe_2−yO₄ films compared to that of the CoFe₂O₄ film. Such enhancement of magnetization can be explained in terms of a breaking of ferrimagnetic order induced by the Co²⁺ migration.     

The magnetic properties of diluted CoFe2O4 nanomaterials

The magnetic properties of （Cox Fe1-x）A （Zn1-x Fe1＋x）B O4 are studied using mean-field theory and the probability distribution law to obtain the saturation magnetization, the coercive field, the critical temperature, and the exchange interactions with different values of D （nm） and x. High-temperature series expansions （HTSEs） combined with the Pade approximant are used to calculate the critical temperature of （CoxFe1-x）A（Znl-xFe1＋x）BO4, and the critical exponent associated with magnetic susceptibility is obtained.     

Exchange coupling behavior in bimagnetic CoFe2O4/CoFe2 nanocomposite

In this work we report a study of the magnetic behavior of ferrimagnetic oxide CoFe₂O₄ and ferrimagnetic oxide/ferromagnetic metal CoFe₂O₄/CoFe₂ nanocomposite. The latter compound is a good system to study hard ferrimagnet/soft ferromagnet exchange coupled. Two steps were followed to synthesize the bimagnetic CoFe₂O₄/CoFe₂ nanocomposite: (i) first, preparation of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles using a simple hydrothermal method, and (ii) second, reduction reaction of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles using activated charcoal in inert atmosphere and high temperature. The phase structures, particle sizes, morphology, and magnetic properties of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were investigated by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Mossbauer spectroscopy (MS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) with applied field up to 3.0 kOe at room temperature and 50 K. The mean diameter of CoFe₂O₄ particles is about 16 nm. Mossbauer spectra revealed two sites for Fe³⁺. One site is related to Fe in an octahedral coordination and the other one to the Fe³⁺ in a tetrahedral coordination, as expected for a spinel crystal structure of CoFe₂O₄. TEM measurements of nanocomposite showed the formation of a thin shell of CoFe₂ on the cobalt ferrite and indicate that the nanoparticles increase to about 100 nm. The magnetization of the nanocomposite showed a hysteresis loop that is characteristic of exchange coupled systems. A maximum energy product (BH)_max of 1.22 MGOe was achieved at room temperature for CoFe₂O₄/CoFe₂ nanocomposites, which is about 115% higher than the value obtained for CoFe₂O₄ precursor. The exchange coupling interaction and the enhancement of product (BH)_max in nanocomposite CoFe₂O₄/CoFe₂ are discussed.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles

CoFe₂O₄ ferrite nanoparticles were prepared by a modified chemical coprecipitation route. Structural and magnetic properties were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction results showed that the sample was in single phase with the space group . The results of field-emission scanning electronic microscopy showed that the grains appeared spherical with diameters ranging from 20 to 30 nm. The composition determined by energy-dispersive spectroscopy was stoichiometry of CoFe₂O₄. The Curie temperature in the process of increasing temperature was slightly higher than that in the process of decreasing temperature. This can be understood by the fact that heating changed Co²⁺ ion redistribution in tetrahedral and in octahedral sites. The coercivity of the synthesized CoFe₂O₄ samples was lower than the theoretical values, which could be explained by the mono-domain structure and a transformation from ferrimagnetic to superparamagnetic state.     

Electrophoretic deposition of BaTiO3/CoFe2O4 multiferroic composite films

Electrophoretic deposition was utilized for preparation of BaTiO₃/CoFe₂O₄ multiferroic composite thick films on indium-tin oxide substrates. The suspensions for electrophoretic experiments were prepared by dispersing BaTiO₃ and CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with different molar ratios into solvents composed of ethanol and acetylacetone. Polyvinyl butyral was added to the suspensions in order to enhance the adhesion and strength of deposit and prevent cracking. The zeta potential values of BaTiO₃/CoFe₂O₄ suspensions were measured to be 26.4-36.9 mV. The experiment results showed that deposited films were obtained only when the applied electric field was larger than a certain critical value. XRD and SEM analysis depicted the presence of constituent phases in composite films. The percolation threshold of composite films was improved through dispersing ferromagnetic phase into ferroelectric phase. Therefore, the ferroelectric properties of composite thick films were maintained when the ferromagnetic properties were enhanced significantly with increasing CFO content.     

NiFe2O4纳米线阵列的制备与磁性

在氧化铝模板的纳米孔洞中, 用电化学的方法沉积铁镍合金纳米线，经过550℃30h氧化处理 , 成功制备出 NiFe2O4纳米线阵列. 分别用扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 、透射电 子显微镜 (TEM) 、x射线衍射仪 (XRD) 和振动样品磁场计 (VSM) 对样品的形貌、晶体结构 和磁学性质进行了表征测试. SEM和TEM观察结果显示氧化铝模板的孔洞分布均匀，孔心距约 为110nm; 纳米线的直径约为70nm. XRD显示纳米线阵列的物相结构为NiFe2O4; VSM测试结果表明，NiFe2O4纳米线阵列膜的易磁化方向垂直于膜面. 当垂直 磁化时磁滞回线的矩形比约为05，矫顽力为41×103A/m，比氧化处理前的铁镍合金 纳米线阵列都有显著提高. 关键词： 纳米线 Ni Fe2O4 矫顽力     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of spinel CoFe2O4 nanowire arrays

Spinel CoFe₂O₄ nanowire arrays were synthesized in nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template using aqueous solution of cobalt and iron nitrates as precursor. The precursor was filled into the nanopores by vacuum impregnation. After heat treatment, it transformed to spinel CoFe₂O₄ nanowires. The structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the sample were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The results indicate that the nanowire arrays are compact. And the individual nanowires have a high aspect ratio, which are about 80 nm in diameter and 10 μm in length. The nanowires are polycrystalline spinel phase. Magnetic measurements indicate that the nanowire arrays are nearly magnetic isotropic. The reason is briefly discussed. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the coercive force of the nanowire arrays was studied.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and magnetic properties of gadolinium-doped CoFe2O4 nanoparticles

CoFe_2−xGd_xO₄ (x=0-0.25) nanoparticles were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process at 200 °C for 16 h without the assistance of surfactant. The as-synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The X-ray diffraction results showed that the as-synthesized powders were in the pure phase with a doping amount of ≤0.25, and the peaks could be readily indexed to the cubic spinel cobalt ferrite. Transmission electron microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that the gadolinium-doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were single crystal, roughly spherical, uniformly distributed, and not highly agglomerated. The room temperature magnetic field versus magnetization measurements confirmed a strong influence of gadolinium doping on the saturation magnetization and coercivity due to large lattice distortion and grain growth of small particles.     

Magnetic behavior of nanocrystalline CoFe2O4

Magnetic nanoparticles of CoFe₂O₄ have been synthesized under an applied magnetic field through a co-precipitation method followed by thermal treatments at different temperatures, producing nanoparticles of varying size. The magnetic behavior of these nanoparticles was investigated. As-grown nanoparticles demonstrate superparamagnetism above the blocking temperature, which is dependent on the particle size. One of the nanoparticles demonstrated a constricted magnetic hysteresis loop with no or small coercivity and remanence at low magnetic field. However, the loop opens up at high magnetic field. This magnetic behavior is attributed to the preferred Co ions and vacancies arrangements when the CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized under an applied magnetic field. Furthermore, this magnetic property is strongly dependent on the high temperature heat treatments that produce Co ions and vacancies disorder.     

Size-induced effect on nano-crystalline CoFe2O4

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) nano-particles have been synthesized successfully and we studied the effect of temperature on them. The particles have been annealed at different temperatures ranging from 373 to 1173 K. Significant effect on the physical parameters like crystalline phase, crystallite size, particle size, lattice strain and magnetic properties of the nano-particles has been investigated. The studies have been carried out using a powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). A thorough study of the variation of specific surface area and particle size with annealing is presented here, with their effects on saturation magnetization.     

Magnetic properties of La-substituted NiFe2O4 via egg-white precursor route

Nano-sized NiFe_2−xLa_xO₄ ferrites (x=0.00, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.5, 0.07 and 0.09) were synthesized for the first time by using metal nitrate and egg-white extract in aqueous medium. The ferrites were characterized by DTA-TG, XRD, TEM, FT-IR and VSM techniques. The thermal decomposition behavior revealed that the precursors were completely decomposed at about 420 °C. TEM image shows agglomerated nanoparticles with crystallite sizes agrees well with that estimated by XRD measurement. XRD patterns show a secondary phase of LaFeO₃ besides the cubic structure of the La-substituted ferrites. The lattice parameters, X-ray density and crystallite size were found to increase with the increasing La content. The VSM measurement exhibited a ferromagnetic property for all the samples at room temperature. With increasing La, M_s was found to decrease while H_c increased. The decrease in the saturation magnetization is attributed to the paramagnetic properties of lanthanum, which prefer to substitute iron present in the octahedral sites. The increase in the coercivity is due to either the stronger magnetocrystalline anisotropy induced by La substitution or the change in the crystallite size.     

Magnetoelectric properties of particulate and bi-layer PMN-PT/CoFe2O4 composites

Our studies comprise electrical dielectric and magnetoelectric properties of CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) and Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.67Ti_0.33O₃ [PMN-PT] magnetoelectric composites. The individual phases were prepared by conventional ceramic method. The particulate composites of ferrite and ferroelectric phases were prepared in ferroelectric rich region. Presence of both the phases in the composites was confirmed using X-ray diffraction techniques. The scanning electron microscopic images recorded in backscattered mode were used to study the microstructure of composites. Lattice constant, dielectric constant, electrical resistivity, ferroelectric, and magnetic properties of individual as well as particulate composites were studied. Further the bi-layer composites were made using the discs obtained from the powders of individual phases where hot press technique was employed to obtain disc of individual phases. CFO phase used in bi-layer composites was obtained using chemical co-precipitation technique. Magnetoelectric (ME) measurements were carried out on both, particulate and layered magnetoelectric composites. Comparison of ME signal obtained from particulate and layered composites revealed that the layered composites gives superior magnetoelectric signal. ME data obtained for layered composites show good agreement with the theoretical model.     

Dielectric properties of BaTiO3-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite thin films

We report on the dielectric characterization of CoFe₂O₄-BaTiO₃ nanocomposites grown by rf sputtering. Dielectric properties have been analyzed for samples grown at different deposition temperatures and with different thicknesses. Impedance spectroscopy data has been analyzed by fitting to an equivalent circuit and different contributions have been identified. Correlations between dielectric properties and deposition temperature and thickness have been established.     

CoFe2O4纳米颗粒的结构、磁性以及离子迁移

聚乙烯醇(PVA)溶胶凝胶法制备出CoFe₂O₄纳米微粉，用X射线衍射研究了铁氧体纳米颗粒的结构.测量了CoFe₂O₄纳米颗粒80—873 K的变温穆斯堡尔谱，发现纳米颗粒的磁转变温度范围为793—813 K，比块体材料的磁性转变温度要低.CoFe₂O₄纳米颗粒的德拜温度θ_A=674 K，θ_B=243 K，比块体材料要小.CoFe₂O₄纳米颗粒超精细场H_f随温度的变化符合T^3/2+T^5/2定理.当温度较高时，平均同质异能移IS随温度的升高而减小，并呈线性关系. 关键词： 纳米颗粒 磁性 穆斯堡尔谱     

Immiscibility in the NiFe2O4-NiCr2O4 spinel binary

The solid solution behavior of the Ni(Fe_1−nCr_n)₂O₄ spinel binary is investigated in the temperature range 400-1200 °C. Non-ideal solution behavior, as exhibited by non-linear changes in lattice parameter with changes in n, is observed in a series of single-phase solids air-cooled from 1200 °C. Air-annealing for 1 year at 600 °C resulted in partial phase separation in a spinel binary having n=0.5. Spinel crystals grown from NiO, Fe₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ reactants, mixed to give NiCrFeO₄, by Ostwald ripening in a molten salt solvent, exhibited single-phase stability down to about 750 °C (the estimated consolute solution temperature, T_cs). A solvus exists below T_cs. The solvus becomes increasingly asymmetric at lower temperatures and extrapolates to n values of 0.2 and 0.7 at 300 °C. The extrapolated solvus is shown to be consistent with that predicted using a primitive regular solution model in which free energies of mixing are determined entirely from changes in configurational entropy at room temperature.