Improved magnetic properties of barium hexaferrite by CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles prepared by ultrasonic irradiation

Magnetic properties of composite magnets made of nanoparticles of Barium Hexaferrite (BHF) and CoFe₂O₄ were reported in this paper. The two types of magnetic particles have a high total magnetization value which was required for permanent magnet applications. Both CoFe₂O₄ and BHF were synthesized through mechanical alloying coupled with high-frequency ultrasonic irradiation. In this respect, mechanically milled BHF precursors was sintered at a temperature of 1250 °C for 2 hours leading to single-phase powders. A similar method was also employed in the preparation of CoFe₂O₄ materials, but this required a relatively longer sintering time up to 12 hours at a sintering temperature of 900 °C. Composite magnets were obtained after sintering the mechanically mixed the two types of nanoparticles as constituted components of the composite. The hysteresis loop of CoFe₂O₄ materials as evaluated by Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) showing soft magnetic phase with a total magnetization value of 0.47 T and a coercivity of 47.37 kA/m. It is shown that the magnetic properties of composite magnets are a composition dependent in which the remanent was enhanced above the value of an isotropic single phase BHF magnet. The enhancement in remanent magnetization raised the effect of grain exchange interaction between hard and soft magnetic phases. The microstructure studied by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Particle Size Analyzer (PSA) and their respective enhancement in magnetic properties are discussed in detail in term of grain exchange interactions.