Effect of annealing on the structure and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4:SiO2 nanocomposites

The decomposition of succinate type precursors obtained by a modified sol-gel method using cobalt and iron nitrates, 1,4-butanediol and tetraethylorthosilicate, followed by the formation of single phase cobalt ferrite embedded in the silica matrix by annealing at 400-1100 °C was studied. The thermal analysis indicated the formation temperature of succinate type precursors, while the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) data confirmed the formation of the precursors in the pores of silica matrix. The formation of CoFe2O4 was investigated by X-ray diffraction and FT-IR, the size and shape of the nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy, while the resulted microstructures by scanning electron microscopy. The crystallinity and crystallites size increased with the annealing temperature. The hysteresis loops revealed a direct relationship between annealing temperature and saturation magnetization in constant coercive field. The particle size of ferrite powders is critically dependent on the annealing temperature.