Effect of Neodymium Substitution on Structural and Magnetic Properties of Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles

Effect of Neodymium Substitution on Structural and Magnetic Properties of Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles

A series of neodymium doped cobalt ferrite samples (CoFe_2-xNd_xO₄ with x=0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25) were prepared through the sol- gel technique. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of spinel structure in all the samples. The lattice parameter and crystallite size of the samples increase with the increase in the concentration of neodymium. The FTIR spectrum analysis indicates the substitution of Fe³⁺ ions on octahedral sites by Nd³⁺ions. Transmission electron microscope observations revealed that the neodymium doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were roughly  spherical and slightly agglomerated. The saturation magnetization and coercivity decrease with increase in neodymium content and this is explained based on the particle size dependence of magnetic properties in the multidomain regime.