Preparation of barium hexaferrite nanopowders by the sol-gel method, using goethite

A series of barium hexaferrite nanoparticles (BaO·nFe₂O₃) with different n values were prepared by the sol-gel method, using goethite and Ba carbonate as raw materials. Phase identification of the samples was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD investigations show that the samples with n=5 and calcined at temperatures higher than 875 °C are single-phase Ba ferrite. An average crystallite size of 22 nm was obtained for the single-phase sample with minimum calcining temperature of 875 °C, using the Scherrer's formula. The morphology of the samples was checked by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and magnetic properties were measured by a sensitive permeameter. The results show that the samples have nonzero coercivities, which shows the particle size are not less than the critical size of Ba ferrite and then are not superparamagnet.