The influence of substituting metals (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co and Ni) on the thermal stability of magnetite

In this paper, a systematic study on the influence of substituting metals on the thermal stability of magnetite was carried out. Six series of substituted magnetite (Fe_3?x M _x O₄, M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co and Ni) and Ti–V co-doped magnetite were prepared by a precipitation-oxidation method, followed by the characterization of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) analyses. XRD patterns confirmed the formation of samples with spinel structure and XANES probed the valence and site occupancy of the substituting ions. From the TG-DSC analysis results, the substitution of Ti⁴⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ stabilizes the magnetite structure, while V³⁺ and Cr³⁺ do not show such an effect. For the thermal stability of maghemite, V³⁺ has a negative effect while the other studied ions show a positive effect. In Ti–V co-doped magnetites, the influence of Ti⁴⁺ and V³⁺ on the thermal stability of magnetite is similar to the case of their single-metal-substituted magnetites. The mechanism about the thermal stability change of magnetite by metal substitution was also discussed. The obtained results will be of high importance for the industrial applications of magnetite.