Synthesis of SrCoxTixFe(12−2x)O19 through sol-gel auto-ignition and its characterisation

Cobalt-titanium-doped strontium hexaferrites SrCoxTixFe(12−2x)O19 were synthesised via a sol-gel route using two different complexing agents (ethylene glycol and citric acid). Both routes led to quite pure undoped Sr ferrites, but the citric acid route formed purer doped materials. All synthesised materials consisted of particles smaller than 1 μm, which is the size of a single magnetic domain, and various doping levels were achieved with the final elemental composition being within the bounds of experimental error. The materials synthesised using citric acid were compared with materials synthesised by a solid-state route using ferromagnetic resonance measurements and they were identical within experimental error. Citrate auto-ignition synthesis is more rapid and less prone to contamination than the standard solid-state method and doping levels can be easily varied between runs.