Magnetic and Magnetoelastic Properties of Chromium Substituted Cobalt Ferrite

In the present study, A series of polycrystalline chromium-substituted cobalt ferrite samples with compositions of CoCr
_x
Fe
_2-x
O
₄
were prepared by standard powder ceramic techniques. The microstructure and final composition of the samples were characterized using a scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The crystal structure of the samples was determined by X-ray diffractometry to be cubic spinel. Curie temperature, T
_c
, was determined by measuring magnetization as a function of temperature in a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Magnetostriction as a function of applied field was measured using the strain gauge method. The results show that Cr substitution has more profound effects on the Curie temperature and magnetoelastic properties of cobalt ferrite than does Mn substitution.