Effect of cobalt substitution on structural and magnetic properties of magnesium ferrite nanoparticles

Abstract

Cobalt substituted magnesium ferrite (Mg(1−x) Cox Fe2O4, where x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) nanoparticles are prepared by co-precipitation method and samples are annealed at 600 °C. The synthesized nanoparticles are characterized using FT-IR spectral analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) analysis. The FT-IR spectra show main absorption bands are shifted to higher values as the concentration of cobalt increases. The average nano-crystallite sizes are found to be in the range 7–9 nm. The SEM micrographs show uniformly distributed granular like structure. TEM indicate the presence of rectangular shaped nanoparticles. The magnetic properties of these samples are studied using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). As the magnetic properties are enhanced due to the cobalt substitution the synthesized samples can be used as a gas sensor.