Preparation and characterization of nanosize nickel-substituted cobalt ferrites (Co1−xNixFe2O4)

Nanosize nickel-substituted cobalt ferrites were prepared using aerosol route and characterized by TEM, XRD, magnetic and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The particle size of as obtained samples was found to be ∼10 nm which increases upto ∼80 nm on annealing at 1200 °C. The unit cell parameter ‘a’ decreases linearly with the nickel concentration due to smaller ionic radius of nickel. The saturation magnetization for all the samples after annealing at 1200 °C lies in the range 47.6–84.5 emu/g. Room temperature Mössbauer spectra of as obtained samples exhibit a broad doublet, suggesting super paramagnetic nature of the sample. The broad doublet is further resolved into two doublets corresponding to the iron atoms residing at the surface and internal regions of the particle. The samples annealed at 1200 °C showed broad sextet, which is resolved into two sextets, corresponding to tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Fe cations. Cation distribution calculated using XRD and Mössbauer data indicates a decrease in Fe3+(oct.)/Fe3+(tet.) ratio with increasing nickel concentration.