Collapse of the Magnetic Hyperfine Structure of Barium Hexaferrite by Mechanochemical Activation

Abstract

The collapse of the magnetic hyperfine structure of barium hexaferrite as an effect of mechanochemical activation was investigated. The various inequivalent sites and phases present in the milled material were studied by transmission Mossbauer spectroscopy. Barium hexaferrite nanoparticles were obtained after only 2 h of milling time and were found to coexist with iron oxide particles for longer times of exposure to mechanochemical activation. The milled samples were then subjected to thermal annealing, in order to test the reversibility of the collapse of the hyperfine structure. The thermal annealing performed (700°C, 1 h) was partly successful in restoring the magnetic hyperfine structure of milled hexaferrite. Complementary information was obtained using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction (ED).