The role of Co ion substitution in SnFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles: Study of structural, vibrational, magnetic and optical properties

Abstract

In order to accurately investigate the effect of cobalt substitutions in tin ferrite (SnFe2O4) properties, we prepared CoxSn1-xFe2O4 nanoparticles for different Co concentrations, x = 0.0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 using a simple co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) are used to study of structural, magnetic, morphology, and optical properties. The XRD and FTIR results confirmed the formation of cubic spinel structure. The lattice parameter and unit cell volume of tin ferrite nanoparticles were found to increase by entering and increasing Co+2 content in 0.25, and then significantly decrease for higher contents. In accordance with the XRD results, a slight shift in main band υ1 (Fetetra+3−O) to lower wavenumber and then to higher wavenumber were observed in the IR spectra of Co content x < 0.25 and x > 0.25, respectively. In turn to, saturation magnetization, remanent magnetization and anisotropy constant of SnFe2O4 nanoparticles were gradually increased for x = 0.50 and then decreased for x > 0.50.