Structural and magnetic characterization and cation distribution of nanocrystalline CoxFe3−xO4 ferrites

•CoxFe3−xO4 nanoferrites have been prepared by citrate-precursor method.•XRD peaks and IR bands confirmed pure spinel structure for x≥0.7.•Structural and magnetic parameters strongly depend on the cation distribution.•A cation distribution was proposed based on and quite matching experimental data.

Structural and magnetic properties have been investigated for CoxFe3−xO4 nanoferrites (x=0.5–1.2, with a step increment of 0.1) prepared by a citrate-precursor autocombustion method. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra prove the formation of a cubic spinel phase of CoFe2O4, besides x-dependent FeCo2O4 spinel for samples with x≥0.7. Size of the formed nano-crystals ranges from 34 to 45 nm, which is further confirmed with a TEM micrograph. Investigating magnetic parameters such as saturation magnetization, coercivity, and remanence field, through vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) data, revealed a strong dependence of the magnetic properties of each sample on its own cation distribution being suggested according to the experimental results of XRD, VSM, and IR data.