Intermediate milling energy optimization to enhance the characteristics of barium hexaferrite magnetic nanoparticles

Nano-sized barium hexaferrite particles were synthesized by mechanical activation of BaCO3 and Fe2O3 powders mixture as starting materials. The effects of mechanical milling energy on the phase composition, morphology, thermal behavior and magnetic properties of the samples were systematically investigated by employing X-ray diffractometer, field emission scanning electron microscopy, differential thermal/thermo gravimetry analysis and vibrating sample magnetometer, respectively. The milling energy was calculated at five different levels using collision model. It was found that there is an optimum milling energy value for obtaining barium hexaferrite phase. The results revealed that applying a minimum total milling energy of 93.7 kJ/g was necessary for formation of almost single barium hexaferrite at a relatively low calcination temperature of 800 °C. FESEM micrograph of the above sample exhibited nano-size particles with a mean particle size of 80 nm. Further increase in milling energy leads to dramatic decrease in phase purity as well as magnetic characteristics of the samples. By increasing the milling energy from 93.7 to 671.9 kJ/g, saturation magnetization (Ms) decreased from 22.5 to 0.39 emu/g, and also coercivity (Hc) decreased from 4.28 to 1.46 kOe.