Effect of Pb on structural and magnetic properties of Ba-hexaferrite

Lead was doped in barium hexaferrite by co-precipitation method and the Pb-doped Ba-hexaferrite with compositions of Ba_1−xPb_xFe₁₂O₁₉ was investigated for the first time at x=0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0. The molar ratio (Fe³⁺/Ba²⁺) of the solutions was kept 12 while pH was maintained at 13 by using NaOH (M=5) as precipitating agent. Prepared samples were sintered at 965±5 °C for three hours. Structural and morphological studies were done by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM micrographs confirmed the formation of hexagonal plate like structures and particle size was observed to be increased with the increase in Pb concentration. The hysteresis loops obtained from the magnetometer showed that with the increase in Pb concentration, the coercivity decreased while magnetic induction and remanence increased, which in turn increased the maximum energy product (BH)_max. Lower coercivity and the moderate increase in saturation magnetization obtained from Pb doping makes the material useful for magnetic recording media and other frequency based applications.