Research on the Surfactant-Assisted Synthesis of MnZn Ferrite Precursor Powders

MnZn ferrite precursor powders were prepared by the nano in situ composite method. Three surfactants, which include polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG-400), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), were usedM and the impact of the surfactants on the precursor sol solutions and precursor powders was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a Zeta potential meter, a BET surface analyzer, and a vibrational sample magnetometer (VSM) were used to characterize the precursor sol solutions and the precursor powders. The results showed that these surfactants can improve the dispersion state and Zeta potentials of sol particles and increase the specific surface areas of the precursor powders. Moreover, the precursor powders were composed of MnZn ferrite, and some were amorphous. CTAB was the optimum surfactant and the zeta potential of the sol particles and the specific surface area of the precursor powders named P-0.1CTAB are 10.7 mV and 129.07 m2/g, respectively. In addition, the nano-particles that were made up of the P-0.1CTAB precursor powders had smaller sizes and more uniform particle distributions than the others. The magnetic properties’ improvement was attributed to the addition of surfactants, and CTAB is the optimal type. In addition, the novel nano in situ composite method will inspire fresh thinking and investigation into the research of ferrite.