Mössbauer analysis and cation distribution of Zn substituted BaFe12O19 hexaferrites

Abstract

Barium hexaferrite is a well-known hard magnetic material. Doping using nonmagnetic cation such as Zn2+ were found to enhance magnetization owing to preferential tetrahedral site (4 f 1) occupancy of the zinc. However, the distribution of cations in hexaferrites depends on many factors such as the method of preparation, nature of the cation, and chemical composition. Here, Zn-doped barium hexaferrites (Ba1−xZnxFe12O19) were synthesized by sol-gel method. In this study, we summarized the magnetic properties of Ba1−xZnxFe12O19 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) BaM, investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Moreover, cation distribution was also calculated for all the products. Mössbauer parameters were determined from 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and according to it, the replacement of Ba-Zn affects all parameters such as isomer shift, the variation in line width, hyperfine magnetic field, and quadrupole splitting. Cation distribution revealed the relative area of undoped BaM, 12k, 2a, and 4 f 2 positions which are close to theoretical values.