Influence of metal precursor on the synthesis and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline SrFe12O19 thin films

The effects of metal precursor on the structure and magnetic properties of strontium hexaferrite (SrFe12O19) thin films synthesized by polymeric precursor method have been investigated. Fourier transform infrared, thermal analyses, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer techniques were applied to evaluate the microstructure, composition, crystallite size and magnetic properties of the SrFe12O19 thin films. The films synthesized from metal nitrate precursor offered the single phase SrFe12O19 with the crystallite size of 42 nm and isotropically magnetic properties of Ms=267 emu/cm3, Mr=134 emu/cm3, and Hc=4790 Oe after calcination at 800 °C. The films obtained from metal hydroxide and metal chloride precursors exhibited higher coercivities, 6063 and 5047 Oe, respectively, due to the smaller particle size; however, they were not single phase strontium hexaferrite.