Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ incorporated barium hexaferrites: structural and magnetic properties

BaM hexaferrites substituted with both Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions, namely, Ba_1-2×Ca_xMg_xFe₁₂O₁₉ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1), synthesized during a sol–gel auto-combustion route. The hexaferrite phase and morphology of all samples were investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, a field emission scanning electron microscope, a high-resolution transmission microscope, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, an M-type hexagonal structure was confirmed using XRD for all samples. FE-SEM and TEM revealed the shape of the hexagonal plate. Measurements of the magnetization versus the field M(H) of Ba_1-2×Ca_xMg_xFe₁₂O₁₉ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) nanohexaferrites were conducted at 300 and 10 K. A hard-ferrimagnetic behavior at both 300 and 10 K was noted for the different products produced. The squareness ratio indicates the uniaxial anisotropy for various products. The deduced values of saturation magnetization (M_s) in all substituted samples are higher than in the pristine sample (x = 0). The Ba_0.96Ca_0.02Mg_0.02Fe₁₂O₁₉ nanosized hexaferrite showed the highest values of M_s, remanence M_r, magneton number (n_B), and magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant (K_eff). In contrast, the values of the coercive field (H_c) and intrinsic coercivity (H_ci) diminish with the increase in the amount of the substituted Ca and Mg elements.