Effect of Chromium Substitution on Structural and Magnetic Properties of Nickel-Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles Synthesized by Co-precipitation Method
Ni{sub 0.3}Co{sub 0.7}Cr{sub x}Fe{sub 2−x}O{sub 4} (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6) nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method followed by annealing treatment. The structural and magnetic properties of the samples were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) analysis, and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. The XRD patterns revealed a single-phase cubic spinel structure for all the annealed products. The average crystallite size is in the range of 45–60 nm. Cation distribution by XRD analysis indicated that Cr{sup 3+} ions preferentially replace Fe{sup 3+} ions from the octahedral sites due to their favorable crystal field effects; with increasing Cr content, it was observed that Co{sup 2+} migrated from octahedral sites to tetrahedral sites. The decrease in saturation magnetization with the increase in Cr concentration could be attributed to reduction in the super-exchange interaction between the A and B sublattices. The observed decrease in coercivity can be explained by reduction in magneto-crystalline anisotropy that resulted from migration of Co{sup 2+} ions from B sites to A sites with the increase in Cr content.