Structural, morphological and magnetic properties of hard/soft SrFe12-xVxO19/(Ni0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4)(y) nanocomposites: Effect of vanadium substitution

Abstract

In this study, hard/soft SrFe12-xVxO19/(Ni0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4)y nanocomposite with different amount of soft phase (y = 1, 2, 3) and various ratios of vanadium (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04) were synthesized using a one-pot sol-gel auto-combustion route. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning and high-resolution transmission electron microscopes (SEM, HRTEM) coupled with EDX and elemental mapping were used to investigate the structure, the morphology and the phase compositions of various nanocomposites, respectively. The analyses showed the formation of the desired phases. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was also employed to investigate the magnetic properties. The obtained results showed the occurrence of a weak exchange coupling interaction. The magnetic properties are also influenced by both the hard/soft weight ratio and the vanadium content. The highest values of Ms and Mr were obtained for the SrFe12O19/Ni0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4 (i.e. x = 0.00 and y = 1) nanocomposite product. The maximum values of Hc were obtained for the SrFe11.96V0.04O19/Ni0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4 (i.e. x = 0.04 and y = 1) nanocomposite product.