Magnetic behavior of Cd2+ substituted cobalt ferrites Original Research Article

The effect of Cd-substitution on the variation of saturation magnetization Ms, Curie temperature Tc, and magnetic moments nB of Co1−xCdxFe2O4 (x=0.0–1.0 in steps of 0.1) ferrites have been investigated using SQUID magnetometer and impedance analyzer. The samples were prepared by conventional double sintering ceramic technique and found to be single-phase cubic spinel structure by X-ray diffraction. Saturation magnetization Ms, is found to increase with increase of Cd substitution attaining a maximum value at x=0.4 and decreases thereafter. Curie temperature decreases almost linearly with increasing x content up to x=0.7. Samples having x≥0.8 display complex magnetic behavior with competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic interactions with the manifestation of large hysteresis at low temperature and no sign of saturation. Samples with x>0.8 show paramagnetic characteristic at T=5 K with no spontaneous magnetization revealed through Arrot-Belov-Kouvel (ABK) plots.