Mössbauer evaluation of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles synthesized by forced hydrolysis

Abstract

Spinel cobalt ferrite in the form of nearly spherical particles, having a narrow range of particle size around 7.6nm, was produced by forced hydrolysis. Between the magnetization blocking temperature of 180K and the Mössbauer blocking temperature of 270K, the magnetic anisotropy energy decreases rapidly with temperature. The occupancy of the octahedral sites by only half of the Co2+ cations may have weakened the crystalline anisotropy. Significant spin canting was also observed at these sites.