Mutual solubility of scandium oxide-hematite magnetic nanocomposites: Mössbauer spectroscopy investigation

xSc2O3-(1-x)α-Fe2O3 (x = 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5) nanocomposite systems were successfully synthesized by mechanochemical activation of Sc2O3 and α-Fe2O3 mixtures for 0-12 h of ball milling time. Mössbauer investigations were performed to study the structural and magnetic properties of xSc2O3-(1-x)α-Fe2O3 nanoparticle systems during the mechanochemical activation treatment. The Mössbauer studies showed that the spectrum of the mechanochemically activated composites evolved from a sextet for hematite to sextets and a doublet upon duration of the milling process with scandium oxide. Mutual solubility was achieved at the nanoscopic level only. A comprehensive Mössbauer study was performed by recording the recoilless fraction f as function of the ball milling time using our dual absorber method. The results obtained indicate that prolonged ball milling times favor formation of the Fe:Sc2O3 non-magnetic phase and decrease of the grain sizes for both magnetic and non-magnetic components, leading to a maximum in the recoilless fraction followed by its decay.