Sol-gel preparation and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline lanthanum ferrite

LaFeO 3 nanoparticles (30–40 nm) have been prepared via the sol-gel method using polyvinyl alcohol as a stabilizer. Addition of polyvinyl alcohol results in the formation of smaller LaFeO 3 particles and decreases the temperature of transition into the single-phase product as compared with the samples prepared via precipitation with aqueous ammonia. Residual magnetization, magnetization at saturation, and coercive force of LaFeO 3 nanoparticles are monotonous decreasing functions of the nanopowder annealing temperature.