Effects of Ce Doping on the Structure, Morphology, and Magnetic Properties of M-Type Strontium Ferrite

Ce-substituted M-type Sr_1–xCe_xFe₁₂O₁₉ (x = 0.00–0.08) ferrites were successfully synthesized via the ball milling method, and the sintering temperature at 1200 °C for 2 h. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The elemental makeup of the samples was characterized by energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The XRD results showed the crystal structure and purity of the samples. The FTIR spectroscopy indicated tetrahedral and octahedral tensile vibrations of M-type strontium ferrite at two characteristic peak bands of 554 and 454 cm⁻¹. The FESEM showed that Ce doping resulted in fine grains. The EDS indicated that Ce content increased with decreasing Sr concentration but that the concentrations of other elements remained basically unchanged. The mass ratio of Sr:Fe is calculated from EDS results and the measured Sr:Fe mass ratio is quite close to the mass ratio calculated from the reactants used to synthesize each sample. The VSM showed that at a Ce doping of x = 0.02, the coercivity of the samples reached the maximum, and the coercivity values and the saturation magnetization were 3878.25 Oe and 73.625 emu/g, respectively. And such high thermal stability further determines that Ce-substituted strontium ferrites have infinite potential in application fields (T = 450.2 °C).