The Effect of Zn- Cr Substitution on the Structural and Magnetic Properties of Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles

In this investigation, the structural and magnetic properties of Cr and Zn substituted Co ferrite with the general formula Co1-xZnxFe2-xCrxO4 (x= 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7) as prepared by sol- gel method were studied. The structural, morphological and magnetic properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD measurements along with the Rietveld refinement indicated that the prepared samples were single phase with the space group of Fd-3m. Results of SEM images also showed that the particles were in the nanosize range. Also, the magnetic properties of the samples indicated that the magnetization was first decreased, reaching the minimum value for x=0.1 sample; then it was increased. This behavior was related to the cation distribution at the tetrahedral and octahedral sites. Moreover, coercivity was significantly decreased with increasing the doping level due the decrease of magnetocrystalline anisotropy because of the nonmagnetic Zn ion substitution.