Effect of Pr3+ substitution on structural and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles

Abstract

In this paper, CoFe2-xPrxO4 (x = 0.00 to 0.1 in step of 0.025) nanoparticles were synthesized by starch-assisted sol-gel auto-combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were employed to characterize these synthesized CoFe2-xPrxO4 nanoparticles. The structural phase purity, crystallite size, and lattice parameter of synthesized CoFe2-xPrxO4 ferrite nanoparticles were estimated from X-ray diffraction studies. XRD patterns reveal the formation of cubic spinel ferrite with the signature of PrFeO3 phase at higher Pr3+ concentration. FE-SEM images endorse that the synthesized nanoparticles are of spherical morphology with size in the range of 5-20 nm. Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra support the formation of the spinel Co-Fe-Pr ferrite structure in the nanocrystalline form. Room temperature magnetic measurement shows increase in saturation magnetization and coercivity, from 13.96 emu g(-1) (x = 0.0) to 19.34 emu g(-1) (x = 0.075) and 52.30 Oe (x = 0.0) to 546.94 Oe (x = 0.075), respectively, in CoFe2-xPrxO4 nanoparticles synthesized by starch-assisted sol-gel auto-combustion method