Effect of Rare-Earth Co-Doping on the Microstructural and Magnetic Properties of BaFe12O19

Abstract Ba0.85(La,Y)0.15Fe12O19 hexaferrite magnets were produced using the powder metallurgy method. The phase analysis of the ferrite magnets was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. A single hexaferrite phase was present in both samples as revealed by XRD patterns. The microstructural evolution in the hexaferrite samples was examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The grain morphology altered with the sintering temperature. Room temperature ferrimagnetic hysteresis curves were obtained by Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). The crystallite size and the lattice parameters (a,c) were also calculated after sintering at 1150ºC and 1250ºC. Saturation magnetizations, Ms were determined to be 48.60 emu/g and 52.95 emu/g for the samples sintered at 1150ºC and 1250ºC, respectively whereas the remanent magnetizations, Mr were 29.26 emu/g and 31.17 emu/g. The coercivity, Hc decreased from 3.95 kOe to the value of 2.44 kOe with the sintering temperature due to the increase of the crystallite size. The squareness ratios (Mr/Ms) of the ferrimagnetic samples were different because the uniaxial anisotropies altered after sintering at 1150ºC and 1250ºC. The maximum energy product, (BH)max dropped from 35.81 kJ/m3 to 27.38 kJ/m3 when the sintering temperature increased. This result can be attributed to a combination of higher magnetization and the lower coercivity.