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Exchange bias in barium ferrite/magnetite nanocomposites

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Abstract

Exchange bias which accompanies a magnetic hysteresis loop shift along field axis or increase in coercivity, occurs due to exchange interactions between ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) or in ferrimagnetic nanoparticles/nanolayers systems. Mixture of barium ferrite (BaFe12O19) and graphite was mechanically milled for different times. Phase analysis, particles morphology, magnetic properties at room temperature and magnetic properties after field cooling at 4 k were measured via XRD, HRTEM, VSM and SQUID, respectively. A nanocomposite of BaFe12O19/Fe3O4 forms after 20 and 40 h of milling. HRTEM images revealed that the nanocomposite consists of crystallites of both phases in intimate contact with crystallite sizes below 20 nm after 20 h milling. Field cooling of the 20- and 40-h milled samples up to 4 k resulted in exchange bias phenomenon. The shift in hysteresis loop for 20- and 40-h milled samples was 204 and 254 Oe, respectively. In spite of the mostly observed exchange coupling systems being ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic systems, in this research the exchange coupling occurred between ferrimagnetic phases. The large difference between coercivity values at 300 and 4 k revealed that superparamagnetic particles constitute a large volume fraction of the milled nanocomposites.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to appreciate Materials and Energy Research Center, School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering of University of Tehran, Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council and Delft University of Technology for financial support of this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ceramic Department, Materials and Energy Research Center, 316-31787, Karaj, Iran

    M. J. Molaei

  2. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, 3619995161, Shahrood, Iran

    M. J. Molaei

  3. School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, 14395-553, Tehran, Iran

    A. Ataie & S. Raygan

  4. Advanced Soft Matter Division, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL, Delft, The Netherlands

    S. J. Picken

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Molaei, M.J., Ataie, A., Raygan, S. et al. Exchange bias in barium ferrite/magnetite nanocomposites. Appl. Phys. A 123, 437 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-017-1034-y

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