Structural, morphological, dielectric and room-temperature magnetic studies of Ce3+ substituted nano crystalline cobalt ferrite

Abstract

Cerium substituted cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with composition formula, CoFe2-xCexO4 (x= 0.00, 0.075) have been synthesized by Sol-gel route method to study structural, morphological, dielectric and magnetic properties. XRD revealed the spinel structure of synthesized samples. An increase in specific surface area and decrease in crystallite were observed with increasing cerium concentrations. The SEM micrographs revealed some kind of agglomerations and non-uniform grain distributions. To confirmed the stoichiometry of the samples EDAX has been employed. Dielectric constant, dielectric loss at room temperature found decreased with increasing frequency showing a normal dielectric dispersion of ferrites. MS and HC were found decreased due to substitution of cerium ions which can be attributed to weakening of A-B interaction, decrease in particle size and surface effect. The MS and HC can be tailored for the application of nano cobalt ferrite particles in high density recording media.