Structure and Hyperfine Interactions of Mechanically Activated Delafossite CuFeO2

Delafossite CuFeO2 belongs to multiferroic class of materials. In this work, copper ferrite was prepared by mechanical activation with subsequent thermal treatment. X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy were used as complementary methods to study the structure and hyperfine interactions of the material. As proved by X-ray diffraction, CuFeO2 compound was obtained with relatively low amount of secondary phases like CuO and CuFe2O4. The Mossbauer spectroscopy revealed paramagnetic character of the compound at room temperature. The purest delafossite CuFeO2 was obtained by mechanical activation of pre-milled precursors and sintering at 1173 K. The temperature of thermal treatment is lower by 100 K as compared to the traditional solid-state synthesis.