MnFe2O4 bulk, nanoparticles and film: A comparative study of structural and magnetic properties

MnFe2O4 bulk sample was synthesized by conventional solid state reaction method, at 1350 °C. Nanoparticles with mean size of 〈D〉TEM=10.4(±1.1) nm were prepared by thermal decomposition of metal nitrates, at 350 °C. And a film sample was prepared by pulsed laser deposition of bulk ferrite on MgO(100) at substrate temperature of 600 °C. Then a comparative study of the structural and magnetic properties of the samples has been carried out using different measurements. X-ray diffraction pattern of bulk and nanoparticles samples confirmed formation of spinel phase. The film sample showed an epitaxial growth on MgO in (400) direction. Saturation magnetization of nanoparticles at 300 K, MS=33 emu/g, was comparable with film sample, MS=38 emu/g, both being ∼2.5 times smaller than that of bulk sample (MS=82 emu/g). The results showed the importance of surface effects in the film sample and nanoparticles. The obtained zero coercivity of bulk sample at 300 K and the low value of 8 Oe at 5 K is attributed to soft magnetic behavior of the MnFe2O4. On the other hand, nanoparticles showed superparamagnetic behavior at 300 K; and blocked state with a large coercivity of 730 Oe at 5 K. The film sample showed non-zero corecivity at both 5 and 300 K which reveals higher magnetic anisotropy of film compared to the bulk ferrite.