Influence of Cobalt on Structural, Morphological, Dielectric, and Magnetic Properties of Barium M-Type Hexagonal Ferrites for Technological Applications

Abstract

Hexagonal ferrites have gained considerable attention due to their promising applications in electronic fields. Herein, the synthesis of M-type hexaferrites with nominal composition Ba_1-xCo_xFe₁₂O₁₉ at x = (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) was successfully prepared by the facile and cost-effective sol–gel auto-combustion technique. The synthesized samples were characterized by a variety of techniques, and dielectric properties were investigated by impedance analyzer. Structural, morphological, magnetic, and dielectric characteristics of the synthesized samples were explored. The objectives of the present study are to enhance the magnetic and dielectric characteristics that were obtained by the variation of cobalt. X-ray diffraction analysis was applied to verify the single-phase hexagonal ferrites. Physical properties such as bulk density, X-ray density, and porosity of the Ba_1-xCo_xFe₁₂O₁₉ at x = (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) M-type hexagonal ferrites were calculated. As a result of internal stress induced by the alteration in ionic radii of the dopant ion (Co²⁺ with ionic radii 0.72 Å) and base element (Ba²⁺ with ionic radii 1.49 Å), lattice parameters were decreased. The prepared materials were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed the hexagonal platelet structure. The dielectric constant gradually increased with the increase of dopant concentration. It is found that these characteristics are beneficial for high-frequency technologies such as phase shifters and modulators, as well as magnetic recording media. The saturation magnetization was found to be in the range of 58.27–64.26 (emu/g), and coercivity was found to be from 208.95–568.46 Oe. The dielectric and magnetic properties of Ba_1-xCo_xFe₁₂O₁₉ at x = (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) M-type hexagonal ferrites with the cobalt variation suggested that the prepared materials are excellent candidates for modern gadgets.

Graphical Abstract

X-ray diffraction pattern of the cobalt-substituted M-type hexaferrites with composition Ba_1-xCo_xFe₁₂O₁₉ x = (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) is shown in the figure. The pattern of the synthesized nanoparticles exhibits a single-phase homogeneous structure. It is found that each sample had no impurity phase and was hexagonally crystallized to the P63/mmc space group. All the peaks matched with the JCPDS card number (43–0002). The prepared samples exhibited well-matched intensity peaks with the miller indices of the peaks (006), (110), (008), (114), (205), (206), (1011), (209), (2010), (218), (0014), and (0016) in the diffraction planes. The cell software determined the lattice parameters (a and c). Lattice parameter “a” was found to be in the range of (5.888–5.857) Å and “c” was found to be in the range of (23.152–23.119) Å. Crystallite size ranges from 39.08 to 44.70 nm which is suitable for good signal to noise ratio.