Magnetic properties of Co sub(1-x)Zn sub(x) Fe sub(2)O sub(4) spinel ferrite nanopartides synthesized by starch-assisted sol-gel autocombustion method and its ball milling

In this article, Co sub(1-x)Zn sub(x)Fe sub(2)O sub(4) (x = 0.0 and 0.5) spinel ferrite nanopartides were achieved at 800 [degrees]C by starch-assisted sol-gel autocombustion method. To further reduce the particle size, these synthesized ferrite nanopartides were ball-milled for 2 h. X-ray diffraction patterns demonstrated single phase formation of Co sub(1-x)Zn sub(x) Fe sub(2)O sub(4) (x = 0.0 and 0.5) spinel ferrite nanopartides. FE-SEM analysis indicated the nanosized spherical particles formation with spherical morphology. The change in Raman modes and relative intensity were observed due to ball milling and consequently decrease of particle size and cationic redistribution. An X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) result indicated that Co super(2 +), Zn super(2 +) and Fe super(3 +) exist in octahedral and tetrahedral sites. The cationic redistribution of Zn super(2 +) and consequently Fe super(3 +) occurred between octahedral and tetrahedral sites after ball-milling. The change in saturation magnetization (M sub(s)) and coercivity (H sub(c)) with decrease of nanocrystalline size and distribution of cations in spinel ferrite were observed.