Exchange spring behavior in Co0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4/SrFe10.5O16.75 nanocomposites

In this article we have observed the exchange spring behavior in the soft (Co0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4)–hard (SrFe10.5O16.75) ferrite nanocomposites by tailoring the particle size of the individual phases and by suitable thermal treatment of the composites. Two phases were prepared with sol–gel method and under appropriate stoichiometry that improved magnetic properties of these two phases. XRD analysis indicates formation of pure phase for each hard, soft and nanocomposite magnetic phases. The magnetization curves for the nanocomposites heated at different temperatures show the presence of exchange spring behavior in the composite heated at 800 °C and an enhancement of 53% in (BH)max compared to the parent hard ferrite (SrFe10.5O16.75).