Influence of Sm and Cd co-substitutions on physical, magnetic, Mössbauer, electric, and dielectric properties of Co2X hexagonal ferrites in presence of a hematite phase

Abstract

X-type samarium-cadmium co-substituted hexaferrite with compositions Ba2-xSmxCo2CdyFe28-yO46 (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.08, and 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.4) were prepared at 1340 °C using a simple heat treatment technique. All heated samples were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, VSM, Mӧssbauer, and low-frequency dielectric measurements. XRD analysis of prepared samples shows the formation of X as a major phase along with hematite. The MS value varied from 67.01 Am2/kg to 50.43 Am2/kg; whereas the Hc value changed from 2.95 kA/m to 6.17 kA/m, A high value of MS (67.01 Am2/kg) is observed in the pure sample, and a very low value of Hc (2.95 kA/m) is observed for x = 0.06, y = 0.3 compositions, but Mr/Ms < 0.5 confirm the multi-domain nature of prepared hexaferrites. Hysteresis loops of all samples are narrow, and confirmed that formed samples belong to magnetically soft. Mössbauer spectra of the three samples (S1, S3, and S5) show the existence of doublets. Significantly low values of coercivity, retentivity, and loss tangent in Sm–Cd substituted samples signified those prepared materials can be used to design electromagnets, transformer cores, electric motors, and maybe a potential candidate for lossless low-frequency applications.