Magnetic study of Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposites

Fine particles of Fe2O3/ZnO were synthesized by wet chemical method. The morphological and structural properties of the mixed system were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The major phase was determined to be the cubic spinel phase of γ-Fe2O3 maghemite with mean crystalline size of about 20 nm together with small amounts of hexagonal ZnO and ZnFe2O4. The magnetic properties of the material were investigated by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in the temperature range from liquid helium to room temperature. An asymmetric and very intense FMR signal was recorded exhibiting strong shift to low magnetic fields with decrease in temperature. Analysis of the FMR spectra in terms of two separate line components indicates the presence of strongly anisotropic interactions.