Effect of polyethylene glycol 6000 on the microstructure and magnetic properties of BaFe10.4Al1.6O19

Abstract

Aluminum-substituted barium hexaferrite (BaFe10.4Al1.6O19) powders were prepared using sol-gel auto-combustion and the calcination method. The effects of adding 1 g, 1.5 g, and 2 g of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) to the sol solution on the microstructure and magnetic properties of calcined BaFe10.4Al1.6O19 were investigated. The x-ray diffraction analysis of the synthesized sample without PEG produced a single-phase BaFe10.4Al1.6O19; furthermore, BaFe10.4Al1.6O19 and hematite (α-Fe2O3) coexisted with the addition of 1–2 g of PEG. Scanning electron microscope analysis revealed the transformation of the morphology of BaFe10.4Al1.6O19 from nanorod to hexagonal platelet in shape and growth in particle sizes as increasing amounts of PEG were added. The prepared samples’ magnetic data revealed an increase in the coercive field with PEG’s addition, while the saturation magnetization increased for PEG additions of up to 1.5 g (1 g and 1.5 g) and decreased for 2 g of PEG. The particle sizes, coercive field, and saturation magnetization confirmed the formation of single-domain BaFe10.4Al1.6O19 for PEG additions of up to 1.5 g and multi-domain formation BaFe10.4Al1.6O19 for a PEG addition of 2 g.