Effect of cerium substitution on structural and magnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles

The current work presents the synthesis and properties of cerium doped magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles synthesized by standard chemical co-precipitation method using NH4OH as co-precipitating agent. The effects of cerium ion substitution on structural and magnetic properties of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were reported. These materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The cerium content has a significant influence on structural and magnetic properties. The X-ray diffraction study confirmed the formation of single-phase magnetite with space group Fd3m and crystallite size ranging from 39 to 58 nm. The addition of cerium resulted in a reduction of crystallite size and an increase of cell parameters. FTIR measurements confirmed the formation of different samples and suggested that the reduction of Fe+3 to Fe+2 preferred on a site adjacent to Ce+4. Magnetic measurements revealed that the saturation magnetization (Ms) and remanence (Mr) decreased while the coercivity (HC) and squareness (Mr/MS) increased with increasing cerium content.