Preparation and magnetic properties of BaFe12O19/Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 nanocomposite ferrite

Nanocomposite of hard (BaFe₁₂O₁₉)/soft ferrite (Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄) have been prepared by the sol–gel process. The nanocomposite ferrite are formed when the calcining temperature is above 800 °C. It is found that the magnetic properties strongly depend on the presintering treatment and calcining temperature. The “bee waist” type hysteresis loops for samples disappear when the presintering temperature is 400 °C and the calcination temperature reaches 1100 °C owing to the exchange-coupling interaction. The remanence of BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄ nanocomposite ferrite with the mass ratio of 5:1 is higher than a single phase ferrite. The specific saturation magnetization, remanence magnetization and coercivity are 63 emu/g, 36 emu/g and 2750 G, respectively. The exchange-coupling interaction in the BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄ nanocomposite ferrite is discussed.     

Simple recipe to synthesize single-domain BaFe12O19 with high saturation magnetization

We report a new synthesis route for preparation of single-domain barium hexaferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) particles with high saturation magnetization. Nitric acid, known as a good oxidizer, is used as a mixing medium during the synthesis. It is shown that formation of BaFe₁₂O₁₉ phase starts at 800 °C, which is considerably lower than the typical ceramic process and develops with increasing temperature. Both magnetization measurements and scanning electron microscope micrographs reveal that the particles are single domain up to 1000 °C at which the highest coercive field of 3.6 kOe was obtained. The best saturation magnetization of ≈60 emu/g at 1.5 T was achieved by sintering for 2 h at 1200 °C. Annealing at temperatures higher than 1000 °C increased the saturation magnetization, on the other hand, decreased the coercive field which was due to the formation of multi-domain particles with larger grain sizes. It is shown that the best sintering to obtain fine particles of BaFe₁₂O₁₉ occurs at temperatures 900-1000 °C. Finally, magnetic interactions between the hard BaFe₁₂O₁₉ phase and impurity phases were investigated using the Stoner-Wohlfarth model.     

Improvement of the magnetic properties of barium hexaferrite nanopowders using modified co-precipitation method

Barium hexaferrite BaFe₁₂O₁₉ powders have been synthesized using the modified co-precipitation method. Modification was performed via the ultrasonication of the precipitated precursors at room temperature for 1 h and the additions of the 2% KNO₃, surface active agents and oxalic acid. The results revealed that single phase magnetic barium hexaferrite was formed at a low annealing temperature of 800 °C for 2 h with the Fe³⁺/Ba²⁺ molar ratio 8. The microstructure of the powders appeared as a homogeneous hexagonal platelet-like structure using 2% KNO₃ as the crystal modifier. A saturation magnetization (60.4 emu/g) was achieved for the BaFe₁₂O₁₉ phase formed at 1000 °C for 2 h with Fe³⁺/Ba²⁺ molar ratio 8 using 5 M NaOH solution at pH 10 in the presence of 2% KNO₃. Moreover, the saturation magnetization was 52.2 emu/g for the precipitated precursor at Fe³⁺/Ba²⁺ molar ratio 12 in was achieved for the precipitated precursor ultrasonicated for 1 h and then annealed at 1200 °C for 2 h. Coercivities from 956.9 to 4558 Oe were obtained at different synthesis conditions.     

Influence of pH on characteristics of BaFe12O19 powder prepared by sol–gel auto-combustion

BaFe₁₂O₁₉ powders with nanocrystalline sizes were produced by sol–gel auto-combustion. Fe³⁺ and Ba²⁺, in a molar ratio of 11.5, were chelated by citric acid ions at different pH. After dehydration, auto-combustion and calcinations, BaFe₁₂O₁₉ powders were formed. TG/DSC indicated the action to form BaFe₁₂O₁₉ first occurred at about 800. XRD patterns of the annealed powders showed that the well-crystalline powder was produced when pH=10. In addition, the data from XRD showed the lattice parameters a and c, and the unit-cell volume V had a little decrease and the density went up with the increasing pH. The data from PPMS exhibited that pH in the starting solution had an important influence on magnetic properties. In this case, BaFe₁₂O₁₉ powder, of maximum magnetization M(3 T)≈60 A m²/kg, the remanent magnetization M_r≈33 A m²/kg and the intrinsic coercive H_c≈432 kA/m, was produced under the molar ratio of citric acid to the metal nitrate of 1.5 when pH=10.     

Synthesis, infrared and microwave absorbing properties of (BaFe12O19+BaTiO3)/polyaniline composite

The (BaFe₁₂O₁₉+BaTiO₃)/polyaniline composite was synthesized by in situ polymerization and introduced into epoxy resin and polyethylene to be a microwave and infrared absorber. The spectroscopic characterizations of the formation processes of (BaFe₁₂O₁₉+BaTiO₃)/polyaniline composite were examined using Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electron spin resonance. Microwave absorbing properties were investigated by measuring reflection loss in 2-18 and 18-40 GHz microwave frequency range using the free space method. Thermal extinction measurements in the 3-5 and 8-12 μm were done to evaluate the shielding effectivity of infrared. The results showed that a significant absorption frequency range shifting and thermal extinction could be obtained by adding polyaniline to the BaFe₁₂O₁₉+BaTiO₃ blend.     

Preparation and characterization of polyaniline (PANI)-Mn3O4 nanocomposite

Polyaniline (PANI)-Mn₃O₄ nanocomposite was synthesized by a combination of sonochemical synthesis of Mn₃O₄ NP's and in-situ polymerization of aniline. Structural characteristics were evaluated by XRD, FT-IR, TGA, VSM, TEM and SEM analysis, and conduction characteristics were evaluated by total conductivity measurements in the temperature range of 20-100 °C and frequency range of 0.1 Hz-1 MHz. Our findings show that PANI is successfully coated on nanoparticles surface and overall conductivity of nanocomposite is approximately 50-1000 times higher than that of uncapped Mn₃O₄ or PANI base with increase in temperature. Morphology of the synthesized powder was observed to be thin nanosheets with a thickness of 2-3 nm based on SEM analysis. Room temperature magnetization curves for nanocomposite show no hysteresis, indicating the super-paramagnetic character of the sample in the region of measured field strength. σ_AC increased after polyaniline coating.     

Ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability of poly(methylmethacrylate)-poly(ethylene oxide) blend-ceramic fillers composites

The role of inorganic ceramic fillers namely nanosized Al₂O₃ (15-25 nm) and TiO₂ (10-14 nm) and ferroelectric filler SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ (SBT CIT) (0.5 μm) synthesized by citrate gel technique (CIT) on the ionic conductivity and electrochemical properties of polymer blend 15 wt% PMMA+PEO₈:LiClO₄+2 wt% EC/PC electrolytes were investigated. Enhancement in conductivity was obtained with a maximum of 0.72×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at 21 °C for 2 wt% of SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ (SBT CIT) composite polymer electrolyte. The lithium-ion transport number and the electrochemical stability of the composite polymer electrolytes at ambient temperature were analyzed. An enhancement in electrochemical stability was observed for polymer composites containing 2 wt% of SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ (SBT CIT) as fillers.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Optical Properties of Poly(o-methoxyaniline)/BaFe12O19 Composite via an In Situ Polymerization Pathway

Poly(o-methoxyaniline)(POMA)/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composite was synthesized via a facile in situ polymerization approach for the first time. The structures of the products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, which indicated the existence of BaFe₁₂O₁₉ particles in the composite. The morphology of the as-prepared samples was observed by using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which revealed that the POMA/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composite appeared in the form of a general pseudo-sphere-like shape and consisted of numerous highly aggregated globules with rough surfaces. The optical properties of the POMA/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composite were further investigated by UV-vis spectra. The decrease of band gap for the POMA/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composite revealed that electronic structure of POMA was affected by BaFe₁₂O₁₉ particles.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of ordered barium ferrite nanowire arrays in AAO template

BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanowire arrays having single magnetic domain size (≤460 nm) in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates were prepared by sol-gel and self-propagating high-temperature synthesis techniques. The diameter of the nanowire arrays is approximately 70 nm and the length is about 2-4 μm. The specimens were characterized using X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer, field emission scan electron microscope, atomic force microscopy and microwave vector network analyzer. The magnetic properties of BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanowire arrays embedded in AAO templates were measured by VSM with a field up to 1274 KA/m at room temperature. The results indicate that the nanowire arrays exhibit large saturation magnetization and high coercivity in the range of 6000 Oe and an obvious magnetic anisotropy with the easy magnetizing axis along the length of the nanowire arrays, probably due to the shape anisotropy and magneto-crystalline anisotropy. Finally the microwave absorption properties of the nanowires were discussed.     

Effect of ferrofluid concentration on electrical and magnetic properties of the Fe3O4/PANI nanocomposites

Magnetic nanocomposites can be controlled and tailored to provide the desired mechanical, physical, chemical, and biomedical properties depending on the final applications. The coating of ferrite nanoparticles with polymers affords the possibility of minimizing agglomeration in large-scale commercial synthesis of nanocomposite materials. The process of coating not only provides effective encapsulation of individual nanoparticles, but also controls the growth in size, thus, yielding a better overall size distribution. In this paper, in-situ polymerization of aniline was carried out in different concentration of the ferrofluid with the aim to obtain agglomerate free nanocomposites. The role of the ferrite concentration was investigated by the spectral, morphological, conductivity, and magnetic properties of Fe₃O₄/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites. XRD revealed the presence of spinel phase of Fe₃O₄ and the particle size was calculated to be 14.3 nm. Spectral analysis confirmed the formation of PANI encapsulated Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite. Conductivity of the nanocomposites was found to be in the range of 0.001–0.003 S/cm. Higher saturation magnetization of 3.2 emu/g was observed at 300 K, revealing a super paramagnetic behavior of this nanocomposite.     

Preparation of substituted barium ferrite BaFe12−x(Ti0.5Co0.5)xO19 by citrate precursor method and compositional dependence of their magnetic properties

As a possible candidate for the left-handed metamaterial with negative permeability, a series of Ti, Co-substituted M-type barium hexaferrite BaFe_12−x(Ti_0.5Co_0.5)_xO₁₉ (x=0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) was prepared by citrate precursor method. The formation processes of the substituted barium hexaferrite compounds from the precursors were followed by the measurements of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared absorption spectra (FT-IR), and thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) coupled with mass spectroscopy (MS). In the case of the non-substituted sample, the formation of the barium hexaferrite is regulated by the thermal decomposition of BaCO₃ and the solid-state reactions of BaO and Fe₂O₃ in the temperature range from 800 to 1100 K. The formation temperature of the substituted BaFe_12−x(Ti_0.5Co_0.5)_xO₁₉ is higher than that for the non-substituted sample and increases with the value of x, due to the effects of carbonate ions incorporated by the partial substitution of Fe³⁺ by (Ti_0.5Co_0.5)³⁺. On heating up to ca. 1200 K, all the substituted samples transform into the magenetoplumbite phase as is the non-substituted sample. The compositional dependence of the magnetic properties of the substituted barium hexaferrite was investigated by the magnetization measurement. The decrease in the magnetic anisotropy was confirmed by the change in the magnetization curve and coercivity H_C with the composition x. A negative permeability spectrum was observed in the BaFe₉(Ti_0.5Co_0.5)₃O₁₉ in the frequency range from 2 to 4 GHz.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of hard/soft SrFe12O19/Ni0.7Zn0.3Fe2O4 nanocomposite magnets

Magnetic nanocomposite SrFe₁₂O₁₉/Ni_0.7Zn_0.3Fe₂O₄ powders with different weight fractions of the Ni_0.7Zn_0.3Fe₂O₄ soft ferrite were synthesized by a combination of the sol–gel self-propagation and glyoxilate precursor methods. The results of magnetic measurements revealed the higher Mr/Ms ratio for the nanocomposites than that for the single phase SrFe₁₂O₁₉ which proves the existence of the intergrain exchange coupling between hard and soft magnetic phases with the exchange spring behavior. The highest Mr/Ms ratio of 0.63 was obtained in the composite consisting of 80 wt% of SrFe₁₂O₁₉ and 20 wt% Ni_0.7Zn_0.3Fe₂O₄. The microstructural studies of this sample exhibited the average dimensions of hard and soft phases about 20 nm and 15 nm, respectively which are small enough for strong exchange coupling according to the theoretical studies. The variations of the reduced remanence (Mr/Ms) with increasing the weight fraction of the soft phase could be also explained by the role of the exchange and dipolar interactions in tuning the magnetic properties of the nanocomposites.     

Preparation, characterization and magnetic properties of the doped barium hexaferrites BaFe12−2xCox/2Znx/2SnxO19, x=0.0-2.0

A series of powders of M-typed barium hexaferrites doped with Co, Zn and Sn of general formula BaFe_12-2xCo_x/2Zn_x/2Sn_xO₁₉ (x=0-2.0) were prepared by the co-precipitation/molten salt method. The structures, particle morphology and magnetic properties of the products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer and ESEM/EDX. The results show that the crystallinity of the samples decreases with increase in the doping amount x. When x is less than 0.6, it is possible to obtain perfectly crystallized hexagonal BaFe_12-2xCo_x/2Zn_x/2Sn_xO₁₉, where the diameters of the particles are around 500 nm. The saturation magnetization of pure barium ferrite BaFe₁₂O₁₉ produced with this method is 71.9 A m² kg⁻¹ at room temperature and the intrinsic coercivity (H_c) is 367.8 kA m⁻¹. The doped barium hexaferrite powder obtained when x is between 0.3 and 0.4 exhibits high saturation magnetization and a temperature dependence of coercivity close to zero.     

MFM studies of magnetic domain patterns in bulk barium ferrite (BaFe12O19) single crystals

Magnetic domain patterns in bulk barium ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉; BaM) single crystals on the basal plane and the prism plane were measured and studied by magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The surface domain pattern is in the form of flowers or star on the basal plane and long elongated spikes or stripe domains on the prism plane. The change in domain structure with applied field (H_app) and the thickness (T) dependence on domain width (δ) was observed. The domain width decreased from 32 to 9 μm for the crystals of 800-100 μm thicknesses, respectively.     

Barium ferrite (BaFe12O19) thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on MgO buffered Si substrates

Barium ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) thin films have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on Si substrates with MgO underlayers. The films were deposited in oxygen atmosphere by excimer laser (=248 nm, pulse duration=23 ns) in the temperature range 750–900 °C. The experiments showed that the substrate temperature has remarkable effect on the films magnetic and structural properties. The BaFe₁₂O₁₉ films deposited at 900 °C in 200 mTorr oxygen showed some perpendicular orientation, with a perpendicular squareness of 0.5 and an in-plane squareness of 0.3. Such thin BaFe₁₂O₁₉ films have platelet grains with a size of about 300 nm. The perpendicular saturation magnetization and coercivity are 185 emu/cm³ and 1.4 kOe, respectively. PACS 81.15.Fg.; 75.70.Ak; 75.50.Pp; 68.55.j     

Magnetic and microwave absorption properties of BaFe12−x (Mn0.5Cu0.5Zr)x/2O19 synthesized by sol–gel processing

BaFe_12−x (Mn_0.5Cu_0.5Zr)_x/2O₁₉ hexaferrites with x=1, 2 and 3 were prepared by sol–gel process. The ferrite powders possess hexagonal shape and are well separated from one another. The powders of these ferrites were mixed with polyvinylchloride (PVC) plasticizer to be converted into a microwave absorbing composite ferrite with a thickness of 1.8 mm. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), ac susceptometer, vibrating sample magnetometer and vector network analyzer were used to analyze its structure, electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties. The results showed that magnetoplumbite structures for all samples were formed. The sample with higher magnetic susceptibility and coercivity exhibits a larger microwave absorbing ability. Also the present investigation demonstrates that a microwave absorber using BaFe_12−x(Mn_0.5Cu_0.5Zr)_x/2O₁₉ (x=2 and 3)/PVC with a matching thickness of 1.8 mm can be fabricated for applications over 15 GHz, with reflection loss more than −25 dB for specific frequencies, by controlling the molar ratio of the substituted ions.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of single-crystalline BaFe12O19 nanoparticles

Rod-like and platelet-like nanoparticles of simple-crystalline barium hexaferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) have been synthesized by the molten salt method. Both particle size and morphology change with the reaction temperature and time. The easy magnetization direction (0 0 l) of the BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanoparticles has been observed directly by performing X-ray diffraction on powders aligned at 0.5 T magnetic field. The magnetic properties of the BaFe₁₂O₁₉ magnet were investigated with various sintering temperatures. The maximum values of saturation magnetization (σ_s=65.8 emu/g), remanent magnetization (σ_r=56 emu/g) and coercivity field (H_ic=5251 Oe) of the aligned samples occurred at the sintering temperatures of 1100 °C. These results indicate that BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanoparticles synthesized by the molten salt method should enable detailed investigation of the size-dependent evolution of magnetism, microwave absorption, and realization of a nanodevice of magnetic media.     

Synthesis and ion conductivity of (Bi2O3)0.75(Dy2O3)0.25 ceramics with grain sizes from the nano to the micro scale

Using (Bi₂O₃)_0.75(Dy₂O₃)_0.25 nano-powder synthesized by reverse titration co-precipitation method as raw material, dense ceramics were sintered by both Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and pressureless sintering. According to the predominance area diagram of Bi-O binary system, the sintering conditions under SPS were optimized. (Bi₂O₃)_0.75(Dy₂O₃)_0.25 ceramics with relative density higher than 95% and an average grain size of 20 nm were sintered in only 10 min up to 500 °C. During the pressureless sintering process, the grain growth behavior of (Bi₂O₃)_0.75(Dy₂O₃)_0.25 followed a parabolic trend, expressed as D² − D₀² = Kt, and the apparent activation energy of grain growth was found to be 284 kJ mol^− 1. Dense (Bi₂O₃)_0.75(Dy₂O₃)_0.25 ceramics with different grain sizes were obtained, and the effect of grain size on ion conductivity was investigated by impedance spectroscopy. It was shown that the total ion conductivity was not affected by the grain size down to 100 nm, however lower conductivity was measured for the sample with the smallest grain size (20 nm). But, although only the δ phase was evidenced by X-ray diffraction for this sample, a closer inspection by Raman spectroscopy revealed traces of α-Bi₂O₃.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured strontium hexaferrite thin films by the sol–gel method

Nanostructured single phase strontium hexaferrite, SrFe₁₂O₁₉, thin films have been synthesized on the (100) silicon substrate using a spin coating sol–gel process. The thin films with various Fe/Sr molar ratios of 8–12 were calcined at different temperatures from 500 to 900 °C. The composition, microstructure and magnetic properties of the SrFe₁₂O₁₉ thin films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. The results showed that the optimum molar ratio for Fe/Sr was 10 at which the lowest calcination temperature to obtain the single phase strontium hexaferrite thin film was 800 °C. The magnetic measurements revealed that the sample with Fe/Sr molar ratio of 10, exhibited higher saturation magnetization (267.5 emu/cm³) and coercivity (4290 Oe) in comparison with those synthesized under other Fe/Sr molar ratios.     

Microstructural and magnetic properties of thick (≥10 μm) magnetron sputtered barium ferrite films

This work focuses on the properties of 10-15 μm thick barium M-type hexaferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉ or BaM) films deposited by non-reactive RF magnetron sputtering on alumina substrates. High deposition rates were achieved through deposition at room temperature and operation at an RF power of 100 W. By varying sputtering gas pressure, the dc magnetic properties were correlated with structural, morphological and compositional properties obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), respectively. A deposition pressure of P=3 Pa enables one to reach the best compromise between high deposition rate (0.75 μm/h) and adequate crystallographic, stoichiometric and magnetostatic properties. Finally the gyromagnetic properties at high frequency were assessed through the characterization of coplanar isolator up to 60 GHz. As such, hexaferrite films prepared using this technique may offer opportunities for the next generation of self-biased planar microwave devices.