Magnetic behaviour of Neodymium-substituted strontium hexaferrite

Neodymium-substituted strontium hexaferrites, Sr1-xNdxFe12O19 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20), have been successfully synthesized by using citrate precursor method. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The X-ray diffraction results show that the prepared samples are crystalline in nature and are of single phase with the space group P6(3)/mmc. Transmission electron microscopy results show that the prepared sample is composed of fine nanoparticles with an average size of 80 nm. The effect on magnetic behaviour of strontium hexaferrite with neodymium substitution was analysed by using first-order reversal curves (FORCs). FORC analysis was done in order to know the domain state of magnetization of the nanoparticles and the nature of magnetic interactions among the particles. FORC diagrams depict a single peak, suggesting that the substituted systems are formed of interacting nanoparticles.