Synthesis, characterization and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles prepared by glycine assisted sol-gel auto-combustion technique.

摘要

Nano-particles of (38 nm size) cobalt ferrite (CoFe_2O_4) were synthesized by sol-gel auto-combustion technique using high purity metal nitrates and glycine as a fuel. The characterization studies were conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The analysis of X-ray diffraction pattern suggests that, the prepared CoFe_2O_4 spinel ferrite possess single phase cubic spinel structure. The most intense peak (311) of the XRD pattern was used to determine the crystallite size. lattice constant and X-ray density were calculated by using XRD data. The values of lattice constant and X-ray density are found to in the reported range but slightly higher as compared to bulk CoFe_2O_4 sample. The surface morphology of the CoFe_2O_4samples was examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. The result of SEM analysis shows that grain size is of the order of 62 nm. The CoFe_2O_4 nano-particle exhibit ferromagnetic behavior having saturation magnetization (M_s) and coercivity (H_c) values in the range of 83 emu/gm and 1381 Oe respectively. The high values of saturation magnetization and coercivity gives the evidence of nanocrystalline nature of the prepared CoFe_2O_4 spinel ferrite.