Magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of Cu substituted Co-ferrites

Copper substituted cobalt ferrite, Co1−xCuxFe2O4 (x=0.00-0.25), nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel autocombustion method. X-ray diffraction analysis on the samples was done to confirm the cubic spinel structures and Scherrer equation was used to estimate the mean crystallite size as 40 nm. Using the obtained nanoparticles, fabrication of the sintered pellets was done by standard ceramic technique. Magnetic and magnetostrictive measurements on the samples were made by strain gauge and vibrating sample magnetometer techniques, respectively. Maximum magnetostriction and strain derivative values were deduced from the field dependent magnetostriction curves while the magnetic parameters such as saturation magnetization (51.7-61.9 emu/g) and coercivity (1045-1629 Oe) on the samples were estimated from the obtained magnetic hysteresis loops. Curie temperature values (457-315 °C) were measured by a built in laboratory set-up. Copper substituted cobalt ferrites have shown improved strain derivative values as compared to the pure cobalt ferrite and thus making them suitable for stress sensing applications. The results have been explained on the basis of cationic distributions, strength of exchange interactions and net decreased anisotropic contributions due to the increased presence of Co2+ ions in B-sites as a result of Cu substitutions.