In this research work, an attempt of regulating the pH as a sol-gel modification parameter during preparation of SrFe12O19 nanoparticles sintered at a low sintering temperature of 900°C has been presented. The relationship of varying pH (pH 1–14) on structural microstructures and magnetic behaviors of SrFe12O19 nanoparticles was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscope (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM). The single-phase SrFe2O19 with optimum magnetic properties can be obtained at pH 1 with a sintering temperature of 900°C. As pH values increase, the presence of impurity Fe2O3 was observed. TGA data-varying pH shows that the total weight loss of most samples was at 30.44% which corresponds to the decomposition process. The IR spectra showed three main absorption bands in the range of 400–600 cm−1 corresponding to strontium hexaferrite. SEM micrographs exhibit a circular crystal type of strontium ferrite with an average crystal size in the range of 53–133 nm. A higher saturation magnetization Ms, remanent magnetization Mr, and hysteresis Hc were recorded to have a large loop of 55.094 emu/g, 33.995 emu/g, and 5357.6 Oe, respectively, at pH 11, which make the synthesized materials useful for high-density recording media and permanent magnets.
Part of the book: Sol-Gel Method