Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jpcs

Multifunctionality of AlBaFe12O19 /CoZnFe2O4 hybrid nanocomposite:

Promising structural, elastic, morphological, compositional, optical, and
magnetic properties
Allwin Sudhakaran, Ashwin Sudhakaran, Sivasenthil E *
Advance Functional and Energy Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Eachanari Post, Pollachi Main Road,
Coimbatore, 641 021, Tamilnadu, India

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: A detailed report on the influence of Aluminum doped Barium Hexaferrite (ABH) on structure, elasticity,
Barium hexaferrite morphology, composition, and optical and magnetic behavior of hybrid ABH-CZF (AlBaFe12O19)1-x/(CoZnFe2O4)
Cobalt-zinc ferrite
x with X = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 nanocomposites is presented. A new study on the role of ABH in the composite made
Nanocomposites
by the physical mixing method. The composites were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDAX, FTIR, UV, PL, and VSM
Sol-gel
Physical mixture
analysis. XRD confirms the formation of hexagonal and spinel structures in the composite along with their cell
Band gap energy volume, lattice parameters, stress, strain, and other structural parameters. Elastic parameters and Debye tem­
Magnetic interaction perature were measured using FTIR. The composite AC 60–40 is found best suited for high-density optical storage
devices and as lead-free radiation shielding materials. From the UV analysis, Both the direct and indirect band
gap energies are found to be increasing with increasing ABH concentration. The overall structural and optical
properties also prove that the material can be used in tunable photonic applications. The refractive index of the
composite is between 3.0 and 3.2, which can be used for photo-electrochemical cells, optical detectors, or re­
flectors. Magnetic properties examined using VSM showed a decrease in Ms, Mr, and Hc values along with ABH
concentration which may be suitable for data storage applications such as rewritable storage hard drives. The
maximum values for Ms (7.85 emu/g), Mr (20.44 emu/g), and Hc (2.01 kOe) are found for AC90-10 nano­
composite material. By plotting loop width (ΔH) versus magnetization (M), the magnetic interaction between the
composite is studied.

1. Introduction been trying to improve the properties of composite magnetic oxide

Among the various types of magnetic oxide materials, barium hex­
aferrite has remarkable magnetic properties such as a high coercive field
(474 kAm− 1), greater saturation magnetization (70 Am2Kg− 1), and high
corrosion resistance [1]. The magnetic parameters of such materials can
be greatly improved by adding impurities, changing the manufacturing
process, or introducing them into a composite material at Ba or Fe sites
[2,3]. Recent studies on the structure, magnetism and optical behavior
of these composite materials are being studied by researchers world­
wide. Below, a study on the magnetic interaction within the hard and
soft sites is analyzed in detail. The exchange coupling within the mag­
netic hard and soft phases (hard and soft site) is affected by numerous
reasons such as phase distribution within the composite, average par­
ticle size, and so on [4]. In recent years, scientists around the world have
materials by taking hexagonal ferrite as the hard side and spinel ferrite
as the soft side. These composite materials can be used in locations that
require high coercivity, rich magnetization, better optical properties,
and other hyperthermia applications [5,6]. Both the hard and soft sides
are individually useful in different applications. The spinel ferrite, which
has a soft magnetic phase, is favorable for microwave applications. On
the other hand, hexaferrite magnetic phases are useful for applications
that require high anisotropy and high resonant frequency. Thus, by
combining both materials one can achieve a composite with both high
and low anisotropy, which can be useful for permanent magnet appli­
cations. Magnetic oxide materials can also be used in memory device
applications. The soft site reduces the switching field while the hard site
maintains its thermal stability. Thus, the writing head can record the
information [7]. The magnetic interaction within the hard and soft sites

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: esivasenthil@yahoo.co.in (S. E).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpcs.2022.111134
Received 8 October 2022; Received in revised form 7 November 2022; Accepted 18 November 2022
Available online 26 November 2022
0022-3697/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A. Sudhakaran et al.
can be represented in two ways: (i) a continuous spring arrangement
results from a spring magnet where the hard and soft site spins are
directly connected and (ii) magnetic bias (interaction) inside the two
sites due to their magnetization.
Although several studies exist on various magnetic composite ma­
terials, a new attempt to dope a post-transition metal (Aluminium) at the
hard site of the composite material has followed. Therefore, in the
current study, two different materials with different magnetic nature
and crystal symmetry [ABH and CZF] are prepared by physical mixing
techniques. The hard site is synthesized using the sol-gel auto-combus­
tion method and the soft site is made using the sol-gel citrate method.
Efforts were made for a detailed structure, elasticity, morphology,
compositional, optical, and magnetic analysis of the nanocomposite
based on the concentration of ABH. The variation of structural and
microstructural properties, including cation distribution, the average
size of crystallite, volume, dislocation density, micro-strain, stress,
hoping length, and specific surface area in relation to ABH concentration
in the composite was examined using X-ray diffusion analysis (XRD).
The elastic parameters of the composite, such as force constant, Debye
temperature, elastic stiffness constant, elastic wave velocity, young’s
modulus, bulk modulus, rigidity modulus, Poisson ratio, and lattice
energy, were extracted from FTIR analysis. The surface morphology and
particle size distribution were analyzed by SEM and EDAX for compo­
sitional analysis. The optical behavior is examined using PL, UV–Vis
spectroscopy, and VSM for magnetic analysis. An attempt has been made
to establish a correlation between structure, magnetic and optical
behavior concerning ABH in the composite which makes the present
work novel and unique. It is observed that the concentration changes
between the composite impact greatly its properties.
2. Synthesis
2.1. Preparation of Hard site material
The sol-gel auto-combustion technique is used to synthesize ABH
nanoparticles as shown in Fig. 1. In 100 mL of deionized water, the ni­
trates of barium, aluminum, and iron are mixed well in a magnetic
stirrer until the nitrates dissolve into a homogeneous solution. Citric
acid is added to the solution as a chelating agent in a ratio of 1:2.
Ammonia is added to the solution to keep it neutral while stirring. The
Fig. 1. Synthesis of ABH.
2
Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134
solution was transferred to a hot plate and heated to 80 ◦ C resulting in
the formation of a viscous gel. Later, when the temperature is increased
to 100 ◦ C, the gel undergoes a self-combustion process in which the gel is
burned to form a brittle powder. Finally, the powder was ground and
annealed at 850 ◦ C for 1 h in a muffle furnace to obtain ABH nano­
particles [8].
2.2. Preparation of soft site material
The citrate sol-gel technique was followed to synthesize CZF nano­
particles as shown in Fig. 2. Stoichiometric amounts of cobalt, zinc, and
iron nitrate are dissolved in 100 mL of deionized water with vigorous
stirring. The temperature is gradually raised after adding citric acid as a
chelating agent, causing the solution to become a viscous gel. The gel
evaporated to dryness as the temperature was increased to 75 ◦ C. Cobalt
zinc ferrite nanoparticles were prepared by grinding the dried powders
and annealing them at 800 ◦ C for 5 h [9].
2.3. Preparation of nanocomposite material
For the preparation of nanocomposite, the Physical mixing method is
used. In this method, ABH nanoparticles were mixed physically with CZF
nanoparticles at different weight ratios of hard to soft ferrite [(AlBa­
Fe12O19)1-x/(CoZnFe2O4)x with X = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4] of 90/10, 80/20,
70/30 and 60/40 to prepare the hard/soft nanocomposites. These are
referred to as AC90-10, AC80-20, AC70-30, and AC60-40 respectively.
The powders were physically mixed and ground in a mortar and pestle
for 60 min and the obtained composites are annealed at 800 ◦ C for 3 h
before sending them to characterization studies.
3. Experimental/characterization
XRD (3rd generation Empyrean, Malvern Panalytical) with Cu-Kα (λ
= 1.5406) radiation was used to estimate the structural and micro­
structural properties. Confirmation of the metal-oxygen bonding
together with the elastic parameters of the composite was extracted from
the room temperature FTIR spectra (Shimadzu, IR affinity 1A) analyzed
within the range 4000–400 cm− 1. Surface morphology and particle size
distribution were examined using SEM. (Jeol JSM 6390 model).
Fig. 2. Synthesis of CZF.
A. Sudhakaran et al.
Compositional analysis was performed using EDAX linked to SEM. Using
the UV-2400PC series with a slit width of 1.0 nm and a light source with
a wavelength of 360 nm, the optical properties include transmission,
absorption, refractive index, valence band edge, conduction band edge,
and Urbach energy were studied in the range of 200–800 nm. Both the
direct and indirect band gap energies are found using Tauc’s diagram.
Using the Shimadzu RF-5301PC spectrofluorophotometer, the photo­
luminescence (PL) spectrum was analyzed at an excitation wavelength
of 360 nm at room temperature. The magnetic characteristics at room
temperature were measured using vibrating sample magnetometry
(VSM Lakshore 7410S) at a maximum field of 1.5 T (with a field increase
of 500 Oe).
4. Result and discussion
4.1. XRD
Fig. 3(a) shows the XRD peaks of the composites produced. The
observed diffraction peaks of all samples matched JCPDS card numbers
71–1376 and 88–2152 for ABH and CZF, respectively (as shown in Fig. 3
Fig. 3. (a) XRD peaks of ABH-CZF composite (b) JCPDS matching of prepared
ABH and CZF nanoparticles.
3
Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134
(b)), confirming their respective hexagonal structures with P63/mmc
space groups and cubic structures with Fd-3m space groups. XRD peaks
from composites showed independent crystal symmetry for ABH and
CZF composites with no secondary phases such as metal clusters or other
oxides, indicating composite purity. Fig. 3(a) shows that as the ABH
concentration decreases, the XRD peaks become sharper due to
increased average crystallite size (D), with their FWHM (Full Width at
Half Maximum) decreasing due to reduced lattice strain. This indicates
the nanocrystalline behavior of the composite. The magnified view of
the high-intensity peaks (202), (301), (103), (220), and (302) is shown
in Fig. 4. It is found that the peaks shift towards a lower 2θ value con­
cerning a decrease in ABH. This is due to increased lattice parameters (a,
c) and cell volume (v) which depends upon various factors such as the
ionic radius of ABH, redistribution of cations in tetra and octahedral
sites, reduced lattice strain, stress and structural defects (listed in
Table 1). The interplanar spacing ‘d’ and parameters ‘a, c’ can be esti­
mated from planes (110) and (002) as follows [10],
1 4 h2 + hk + k2 l2
Were for hexagonal structure; 2
= + 2 (1)
dhkl 3 a2 c
1 h2 + k2 + l2
Similarly, for cubic structure; 2
= (2)
dhkl a2
The number of unit cells per crystallite (Nu) [11], unit cell volume
(v) [10], stress (σ), crystallites volume (V) [11], microstrain (ϵ), and
dislocation density are listed in Tables 1 and 2. The average crystallite
size (D) is measured using Scherrer’s equation using maximum intensity
peaks (as shown in Table 1).
The stress (σ) can be calculated with the relation [11],
− 233 × c − co
σ= (3)
c
Where co is the standard lattice parameter obtained from JCPDS card
data and c is the obtained lattice parameter of the prepared sample. The
X-ray density (Dx) of the prepared sample can be calculated as follows
[12];
ZM
DX = (4)
NA v3
Here, Z represents the number of molecules per unit cell (for spinel Z =
8), M represents the molecular weight obtained from JCPDS data, v is
the unit cell volume, and NA is the Avogadro number (6.023 × 1023).
Table 2 shows that an increase in ABH increases the density of the x-ray.
Fig. 4. Extended view of (202), (301), (103), (220), and (302) XRD peaks in
ABH-CZF composite.
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

Table 1
Lattice Parameter a & c, Unit cell volume (v), Interplanar Spacing (d), Average Crystalline Size (D), Particle Size (nm), Volume of Crystallite (Vc) for all prepared
nanocomposites.
Structural Parameters Lattice Lattice Volume of Interplanar Average Crystallite Particle Volume of
Parameter (a) Parameter (c) unit cell (v) Spacing d(Å) Size (D) (nm) [Dhkl = Size (nm) Crystallite (Vc) (Å)3
(nm) (nm) (Å)3 kλ [V c = D3hkl ]
]
β cos θ
Doping 90–10 ABH 10.87 8.815 901 3.16 22 35 11.019
Concentration CZF 8.32 499 2.512 26 18.516
80–20 ABH 10.90 8.819 907 3.18 31 34 30.197
CZF 8.37 507 2.525 31 31.943
70–30 ABH 10.91 8.821 910 3.19 38 32 58.941
CZF 8.39 511 2.532 35 43.781
60–40 ABH 10.93 8.823 912 3.20 51 29 139.622
CZF 8.41 516 2.539 39 62.285

The hoping length within the magnetic cations dA (octahedral site) and
dB (tetrahedral site) in the spinel lattice may be calculated using the
values of ‘a’ as follows [12];
√̅̅̅
dA = 0.25 a 3 (5)
√̅̅̅
dB = 0.25 a 2 (6)
The calculated dA and dB are listed in Table 2, which decrease as the
ABH percentage increases, indicating that magnetic ions are moving
closer together. Compared to A-sites, B-sites have smaller hoping
lengths, indicating that the probability of electron hopping (charge
carriers) is greater in the octahedral site than in the tetrahedral site,
resulting in different physical properties, including optical and magnetic
behaviors. Any defect due to concentration within the sample can be
estimated using the dislocation density (γ) [12]. It gets lower upon
decreasing the ABH in the composite indicating reduction in the number
of defects during the sample’s crystallization. This indicates that the unit
cell within the crystal gets agglomerated, increasing the surface area.
Thus sample AC 90–10 can be used for efficient photocatalytic perfor­
mance. The following relation could estimate the number of unit cells
(n*) in the composite [12],
n∗ =
π × t3
(7)
6V
Where V is the volume of the unit cell. The estimated n* at different
weight percentages of the ABH-CZF composite are listed in Table 2,
which increases with a decrease in ABH percentage, representing an
increase in crystal growth and a decrease in defects. Fig. 5 clearly ex­
plains the relationship between various structural parameters concern­
ing the concentration of ABH-CZF composite.
Fig. 5(a) and (b) show that the decrease in ABH and increase in CZF
concentration increases the crystalline size which states that the crys­
talline nature of the composite is improved. The broadening of the
diffraction peaks as seen in Fig. 5(e) and (f) suggests that the crystallite
size may have been reduced as it can be observed that the microstrain
increases as the crystallite size decreases [13,14].
The parameter changes c/a ratio and unit volume along with the
concentration of ABH and CZF are shown in Fig. 5(c) and (d) respec­
tively. With an increase in ABH concentration the a/c ratio decrease
rapidly which may be due to large differences in atomic radii [15].
Fig. 5(g) shows that the lattice parameter a and c for ABH and CZF
increases with an increase in x concentration which explains the shift in
XRD peak towards a lower 2θ value (as shown in Fig. 4). Therefore, it
may be concluded that strain and dislocation both contribute to the
FWHM’s broadening. The wider diffraction peaks caused by the higher
strain value lead to a reduction in crystal size. Lattice characteristics,
non-uniform lattice distortion, and dominating borders between phases
may affect the strain and dislocation density [16].
4.2. SEM& EDAX
The SEM image is shown in Fig. 6 together with the histogram of the
particle size distribution. The surface morphology of the composite
shows a uniform distribution of dense microstructure with good crys­
talline nature. The particle size distribution is calculated from SEM
images using ImageJ software. It clearly shows that the particle size
increases with an increase in the ABH concentration. The estimated
crystal size from the XRD data is smaller than the particle size obtained
from the SEM image (Table 1). This results from the agglomeration of
multiple crystallites into a single particle and crystallographic grain
boundaries. With smaller sizes, the particles have a higher relative
surface area and higher energy. i.e., with smaller size, higher relative
surface area, and higher relative numbers of surface atoms. Such surface
atoms have unsaturated coordination (not complete coordination) and
each atom has vacant coordination sites. A phenomenon so-called
dangling bonds. More bonds need to be formed per each surface atom.
They try to make bonds, and such bonds tend to form between adjacent
particles (bonds between surface atoms of each) This causes agglomer­
ation. It is also noted that even smaller size particles by sonication or
other techniques are still subject to agglomeration afterward which can
be reduced by means of adding surfactants. More experiments (TEM
analysis) need to be done to prove this, which is beyond the current
article. The chemical composition of the material was analyzed by EDAX
studies, confirming the purity of the sample (Fig. 7). The weight per­
centage of the expected elements and the chemical stoichiometry of the
composite were found to be remarkably similar.
4.3. FTIR analysis
Fig. 8 displays the FTIR spectrum of ABH-CZF. The band V1 (522-
601cm− 1) represents tetrahedral complexes of Zn2+ ion stretching. The
band V2 (408-460 cm− 1) represents the existence of Fe–O stretching
vibrations confirming the presence of the M − O stretching band in
ferrites, which is attributed to the formation of the hexaferrite structure.
These bands confirm the formation of a ferrite structure in the com­
posite. Compared to octahedral sites, tetrahedral sites are smaller,
resulting in a small M − O bond length that needs higher stretching
energy. Thus, vibration occurs at a higher wavenumber in the tetrahe­
dral metal complex than in the octahedral complex. Tetrahedral target
sites’ cations vibrate close to the line separating them from nearby ox­
ygen atoms. The line linking the oxygen anion and the metalation at the
tetrahedral site are exactly opposite to the direction in which the cations
at the octahedral site vibrate. Fig. 8 shows the positions of the vibration
bands of all the prepared composites. Changing the hard/soft ratio
causes these bands to diverge in a certain range, which can be caused by
hard/soft site coupling in composites to reduce the stress at the lattice
site. The change in the distance between the Fe3+-O2 bond within the A
and B sites is the reason for the change in the V1 and V2 bands, which is
reflected in the shift of the UV–Vis absorption band to higher

4
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

wavenumbers. The peak at 543 cm− 1 corresponds to CZF, and the peak

Volume of Unit cells per crystallite (Nu), Stress (σ), X-ray density (Dx), Micro strain (ϵ), Specific Surface area (ρ), Dislocation density (γ), and length of hoping between magnetic cations dA and dB for all prepared
at 596 cm− 1 corresponds to bending vibrations of Al–O at the tetrahedral

dB (Å)

2.943

2.959

2.967

2.975
site. The V3 band (650-740 cm− 1) represents the characteristic absorp­

–
tion of Fe–O confirming its stretching modes. The divalent octahedral M

3.604

3.624

3.634

3.643
− O complex of Ba–O is found at 856 cm− 1. The 1433 cm− 1 peak denotes

(Å)
dA

–
O–H bending which forms evidence of ABH (M-type hexaferrite) nano­
Specific Surface area particles. The bond strength between the octal and tetrahedral M − O
bonds can be calculated using the force constant as follows be calculated
[12].
(ρ) (cm2/g)

Kt = 7.62 × MA × v21 × 10− 7

(8)
61.32
42.19
44.08
35.75
35.37
32.45
26.21
29.08
Ko = 5.31 × MB × v22 × 10− 7
(9)

Were, Ko, Kt is the force constants of octahedral and tetrahedral

X-ray density (Dx)

metal complexes, respectively, MA, and MB are molecular weights of

octahedral and tetrahedral cation sites; V1 and V2 are absorption bands
[usually (530-580 cm− 1) and (400-430 cm− 1) respectively] obtained by
(g/cm3)

4.396
5.374
4.370
5.288
4.357
5.245
4.344
5.203
FTIR analysis. The increasing trend with decreasing ABH in the com­
posite is due to a variation in the M − O bond length at both the A and B
sites. From Table 3, the value of Kt is larger than Ko. Tetrahedral M − O
Dislocation density (γ) (1015/

bonds have shorter lengths than octahedral M − O bonds. As a result, the

strength of M − O is larger at the tetrahedral site than at the octahedral
site. This indicates that higher electron density with more covalent
bonding is found in the A site and fewer stronger bonds (i.e. more ionic
m2) [γ = 2 ]

bonding) with lower electron density are observed in the B site. The
Dhkl
1

shorter bonds require higher energy to break them, resulting in a high Kt

value. The values of V1 and V2 can be used to find the Debye temperature
2.01
1.42
1.03
0.99
0.66
0.80
0.37
0.63

which is a measure of the temperature at which the lattice exhibits

maximum vibration (Table 3). It is calculated as follows [12];
− 2.854

− 2.959

− 3.011

− 3.063
− 0.526
1.9871

0.7237

0.0971
Stress

hcv12
Debye temperature θD = (10)
(σ)

kB
Were v12 = v1 +v
2
2
is the average wave number of absorption bands, kB
represents the Boltzmann constant (1.38 × 10− 23J/K) and c represents
Micro strain

(10− 3) [ϵ =

the velocity of light (3 × 108 m/s). The increase in Debye temperature

]

1.5403
1.2956
1.1007
1.0803
0.8808
0.9725
0.6607
0.8647
β cos θ

with a decrease in ABH concentration corresponds to the increase in the

4
(ϵ)

crystal’s normal vibrational mode, which further increases the average

force constant (bond strength), indicating increased thermal conduc­
Number of Unit cell

tivity in the composite. The elastic constant gives information about the
bond stiffness within the lattice atoms, which is caused by the redistri­
bution of cations within the interstitial sites. By measuring various
(n*) x 10− 3

elastic moduli, including elastic wave velocity, elastic modulus, and

6.393
16.79
17.41
28.50
33.89
38.76
80.04
54.70

elastic stiffness constants, the elastic nature of the actual samples is

expressed. The following equation was also used to calculate the elastic
stiffness constant (C11) [12]:
Volume of Unit cells per crystallite

Kav
C11 = (11)
a
Were Kav is the average force constant [Kt +K
2
o
]. For cubic ferrites the
elastic stiffness constants C11 and C12 are equal. The elastic stiffness
(Nu) [ Nu = ]
Vc
v

constant increases with a decrease in ABH concentration (listed in

Table 3). This may be due to the bonding stiffness within the lattice
atoms caused by the redistribution of cations within the interstitial sites.
0.012
0.032
0.033
0.054
0.064
0.074
0.152
0.104

Using bulk and rigidity modulus, the young modulus of the material is
also calculated as follows [12],
ABH

ABH

ABH

ABH
CZF

CZF

CZF

CZF

Rigidity modulus (R) = Dx Vt2 (12)

90–10

80–20

70–30

60–40

1
Bulk modulus (B) = [C11 + 2C12 ] (13)
3
Structural Parameters

9BR
Concentration

(14)
nanocomposites.

Young’s modulus (Y) =

(3B + R)
The elastic moduli are observed to increase with a decrease in ABH,
Doping
Table 2

which shows that the interatomic bonding of atoms within the crystal is
strengthened due to cationic redistribution. Therefore, the sample is

5
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

Fig. 5. (a, b) Lattice strain vs Crystallite size (c, d) Unit cell volume vs a/c ratio (e, f) Average crystallite size vs FWHM (g) Lattice parameters a and c for the
prepared samples.

Fig. 6. SEM micrograph with the distribution of particle size of the prepared composites.

difficult to deform and may tend to maintain its initial equilibrium po­
sition. The Youngs modulus of AC 60–40 (469 GPa) is greater than
Tungsten (400 GPa) which shows that these high-density materials can
provide the best effective shielding against gamma radiation. Thus,
these composites can be utilized as lead-free radiation shielding mate­
rials. The Poisson’s ratio of the prepared samples is calculated as follows
[12].
(3B − 2R)
σ∗ = (15)
(6B + 2R)
According to the theory of elasticity, the values of σ* often fall
between 1 and 0.5. The value of σ* for the sample is found to be 0.35,
which exhibits good elastic nature.
Using the elastic stiffness constant, the longitudinal (Vl) and trans­
verse (Vt) elastic wave velocities are calculated and given in Tables 3
and 4 [12]. The longitudinal elastic wave is known to move more
quickly than the transverse elastic wave. Each medium particle receives
energy from the wave as it passes through the medium, causing the
particle to vibrate. The other vibrating particle in the medium takes
energy from the vibrating particle and vibrates as a result. For longitu­
dinal elastic waves, the medium particle vibrates in the direction of
wave propagation. The surrounding particles can vibrate with less

6
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

Fig. 7. EDAX spectra with quantitative data of the prepared composites.

energy as a result. Wave energy is increased massively. Therefore, the

longitudinal wave velocity is greater. The mean elastic wave velocity
(Vm), can be expressed as [12],
[ ( )]− 31
1 2 2
Vm = 3
+ 3 (16)
3 Vt Vl

The strength of bonds within the composite can be explained using

lattice energy. In a crystal structure, the atomic orbitals overlap with
each other resulting in potential energy called lattice energy. It is
calculated as follows [12];
( )
UL = − 3.108 MVm2 × 10− 5 eV (17)

Where M represents the sample’s molecular weight, and Vm is the mean

elastic wave velocity. The elastic nature of the current sample is sup­
ported by the change in lattice energy. Thus, the sample AC 60-40
having high young’s modulus, less lattice energy, and good elastic
wave velocity can be typically used in high-density optical storage de­
vices [17].

Fig. 8. FTIR spectra of ABH-CZF nanocomposite.

4.4. UV–Vis analysis

The UV–Vis optical absorption spectra and transmission spectra for

Table 3
Force Constant (Kt, Ko), Average Force Constant (Kav), Debye temperature (θD), Elastic stiffness constant (C11), and Longitudinal elastic wave velocity (Vl) for all
prepared composites.
Doping Force Constant Force Constant Average Force Debye temperature Elastic Stiffness Longitudinal elastic wave velocity (Vl)
√̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
Concentration (Kt) (Ko) constant (Kav) (θD) (K) constant (C11) C11
(10− 2m/s) [V l = ]
(10− 2N/m) (10− 2N/m) (10− 2N/m) (10− 4) (GPa) Dx
90–10
0.621 0.247 0.434 747 521.93 9.854
80–20 0.623 0.248 0.436 749 521.04 9.926
70–30 0.625 0.249 0.437 750 521.56 9.971
60–40 0.627 0.251 0.439 751 522.09 10.016

7
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

Table 4
Mean elastic wave velocity (Vm), Transverse elastic wave velocity (Vt), Young’s modulus (Y), Rigidity modulus (R), Bulk modulus (B), Poisson ratio (σ*), and Lattice
energy (UL) for all prepared composites.
Doping Transverse elastic wave velocity Mean elastic wave Rigidity Bulk modulus Young’s Poisson ratio Lattice energy
√̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
Concentration C11 velocity (Vm) (10− 2m/ modulus (R) (B) (GPa) modulus (Y) (σ*) (GPa) (UL) (eV)
(Vt) (10− 2m/s) [V t = ]
3Dx s) (GPa) (GPa)

90–10 5.6896 6.3166 173.977 521.93 469.74 0.35 − 2.8949

80–20 5.7310 6.3625 173.682 521.04 468.94 0.35 − 2.9371
70–30 5.7570 6.3913 173.856 521.56 469.41 0.35 − 2.9638
60–40 5.7830 6.4203 174.030 522.09 469.88 0.35 − 2.9907

all samples prepared within 200–800 nm are shown in Figs. 9 and 10 (b).
As the ABH % decreases, the spectra demonstrate the successive shift of
the absorption band edge to a higher wavelength (red shift). . This is
because the redshift in the material’s absorption spectra increases its
ability to absorb a broader spectrum of light (more in the visible), which
can be useful in the case of photocatalysts. This indicates that varying
ABH could modify the optical band gap of the sample in the composite. A
broad absorption band within 300–800 nm represents the electronic
transition between the Co and Zn orbitals formed under the influence of
the octahedral crystal field. Both the direct and indirect optical band
gaps have been determined using Tauc’s relation (shown in Figs. 10(a)
and 11(a)).
( )S
αhν = A hν − Eg (18)
( )
Where Eg is the optical energy band gap Eg = hc λ , h is plank’s constant
− 34 − 1
(6.632 × 10 Js ), λ is the absorbed wavelength, α is the absorption
coefficient, hν is the incident photon energy in eV, A represents band
edge sharpness constant, and exponent S represents different types of
allowed electronic transition. The system corresponds to a direct
authorized inter-band transition if S = 12. Whereas S = 2 denotes indirect
permitted inter-band transition in the system. The value of the α is Fig. 10. (a) Direct bandgap energy estimation of ABH-CZF composites using
calculated as follows; Tauc’s Plot, (b) Transmittance spectra of ABH-CZF nanocomposite.

4πk
α= (19)
λ

Here, λ and k represent the wavelength of the incident light and

absorbance. It has been found that the optical energy band gap decreases
continuously with the decrease of ABH in the composite. The continued
reduction in the energy band gap indicates the decrease in structural
disorder within the composite, which correlates with the dislocation
density tabulated in Table 1. Both the direct and indirect bandgaps of
ABH-CZF have been tabulated in the table. The indirect energy band gap

Fig. 11. (a) The indirect bandgap of the prepared sample estimated using
Tauc’s Plot, (b) Urbach energy of the composite under study.

is narrower than the direct energy band gap because phonons are
frequently engaged in the optical absorption process. The narrowing of
the optical band gap may be due to the creation of new states within the
band gap, facilitating the movement of electrons from the valence bands
to newly created local states of the conduction band [18]. The optical
energy band gap narrows in Table 5 along with ABH in the composite
Fig. 9. Absorption spectra of the prepared nanocomposite material.

8
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

because the crystalline material always contains the defect states.

Therefore, one could not dismiss the occurrence of localized energy
states in the energy band gap region due to crystal defects. The excited
electrons are trapped in these localized defect energy levels, preventing
a direct transition into the conduction band [12]. A high surface area to
volume atomic ratio is present in the smaller-sized nanoparticle. As a
result, the atoms on the surface of nanoparticles are stressed by unsat­
urated bonds, leading to large oxygen vacancies and other crystal de­
fects. The oxygen vacancies and crystal defects act as exciton-trapping
sites within the energy band gap and generate a variety of metastable
energy states, preventing charge carriers from entering the conduction
band. This is because the increase in ABH increases the particle size,
causing the atoms to be arranged periodically. As a result, a decrease in
ABH reduces the crystal defects, trap levels, and oxygen vacancies be­
tween the valence and conduction bands, thereby reducing its optical
band gap. In summary, changing lattice parameters, defects, particle
size, distribution of cations, thermal and structural disorder, and for­
mation of sub-bandgap energy levels leads to modification of the
bandgap in the composite. From this, it can be concluded that bandgap
engineering can be achieved by changing the ABH concentration.
The optical parameter known as the Urbach energy serves as a rep­
resentation of the defect states in the region of the optical band gap. The Fig. 12. optical bandgap representation using ECB and EVB in ABH-CZF
nanocomposite.
absorption tail in the absorption spectra is caused by these localized
states of the defect in the bandgap region. This tail is known as the
Urbach tail and the associated energy is known as the Urbach energy, which has a value of 4.5 eV. The term χ is the sample’s absolute elec­
which is calculated as follows [12]. tronegativity of the sample (Mulliken electronegativity), which is
( ) determined by the equation [12];
E
α = αo exp (20) [ ](a+b+c)
1
Eu χ = χ (A)a χ (B)b χ (C)c (23)

Where αo is constant, E is the incident photon energy (hν), and Eu is the

Where a, b, and c are the number of atoms in the compound. The value of
Urbach energy. The Eu value (Urbach energy) is calculated from a plot
χ(A) is determined by taking the arithmetic mean of the first ionization
between ln (α) and photon energy (Fig. 11(b)). The value of Eu is ob­
energy and electron affinity of atom A. The value of χ(B) and χ(C) has
tained by taking the reciprocal of the slope by fitting the linear part of
also been determined similarly. The determined absolute electronega­
the curve. The Eu value for all composites produced is listed in Table 5. It
tivity of the sample is 3.6 eV using the values of electron affinity and first
shows an inverse relationship to that of the band gap energy. The AC 60-
ionization energy for the elements aluminium, barium, cobalt, zinc,
40 sample has the highest Eu of 2.072 eV. This implies that the free
iron, and oxygen from the periodic table. The values of the valence band
surface binding causing a high density of localized defect states in the
edge (EVB) and conduction band edge (ECB) of all prepared composites
bandgap region has introduced a significant amount of structural dis­
have been determined using absolute electronegativity (χ) and direct
order in the sample. Eu increases upon ABH reduction, indicating the
energy bandgap and are shown in Table 5. Fig. 13 depicts the change in
tendency to produce less localized defect states that form in the bandgap
Urbach energy, direct band gap energy, and indirect band gap energy
region. This is because ABH relaxes the structure of the composite by
concerning ABH content. The sample’s refractive index can be calcu­
increasing its particle size and reducing structural defects, creating a
lated using the estimated values of the energy band gap. The energy
more periodic structure. Recent research has reported similar Urbach
band gap and refractive index have a linear empirical relationship,
energy results for ferrite materials and other oxide materials [12]. The
which is expressed as [12];
conduction band edge (CB) and valence band edge (VB) for the prepared
composite can be calculated using the relation (Fig. 12) [12];

ECB = χ − EC − 0.5Eg (21)

EVB = ECB + Eg (22)

Where EVB represents the valence band edge, ECB is the conduction band
edge, and Eg represents the optical band gap within CB and VB. On the
hydrogen scale, the term EC refers to the energy of the free electrons,

Table 5
Direct bandgap, Indirect bandgap, ECB, EVB, and refractive index of ABH-CZF
nanocomposite.
Sample Direct Indirect Urbach ECB EVB n
Bandgap Bandgap energy (eV) (eV)
Energy Energy (eV) (eV)
(eV)

AC90–10 1.67 1.22 1.720 − 1.65 0.012 3.04

AC80–20 1.62 1.17 1.753 − 1.63 − 0.012 3.07
AC70–30 1.55 1.13 1.912 1.59 − 0.047 3.12
Fig. 13. Relation between Direct, indirect, and Urbach energy in the pre­
−
AC60–40 1.42 1.10 2.072 − 1.53 − 0.112 3.20
pared composites.

9
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

n = 4.084–0.62Eg (24)

The refractive index of AC90-10, AC80-20, AC70-30, and AC60-40

samples is found to be 3.04, 3.07, 3.12, and 3.20 which is inversely
related to its band gap energy. This type of composite is recommended
due to its very high transmittance in the spectral region from 400 nm to
800 nm. Its refractive index can be controlled by ABH concentration that
reduces the transmittance and increases the reflectivity and thus
increasing the refractive index. It is possible to use this composite in
spacecraft to save the temperature of the spacecraft and control the rays
that fall on its exterior surface and work on its reflection away from the
surface which provides additional evidence for lead-free radiation
shielding which can be used in spacecraft [19].

4.5. PL

All optical and electrical properties of nanocomposites are closely

related to their emission spectra and quantized energy states since the
discrete emission wavelength of a quantum system is determined in
response to the quantized energy states of that system. The PL technique,
also known as photoluminescence spectroscopy, is a highly effective tool Fig. 14. PL spectrum of ABH-CZF composite.
for analyzing the nature of discrete energy states and the associated
emission wavelengths. As a result, this method can be used to study the photocatalytic activity of the sample. The band gap narrows along with
band structure of pure materials in nanocomposites. In addition, by the ABH content. As a result, a blue shift in the PL emission can be seen,
measuring the luminescence spectrum, namely the PL spectrum, it is showing the amazing photoluminescent properties of ABH. Thus, both
possible to identify the defects and impurities in the composite. 565 nm UV–Vis and PL emission spectra indicate that the composite material
excitation was used to observe the room temperature PL spectra to produced is best suited for a photocatalyst, optoelectronic devices, and
determine the crystal quality of the synthesized heterostructure. Exci­ sensor applications.
tonic recombination of electrons and holes, or band-to-band transition,
caused all samples to produce near-band edge (NBE) emissions between 4.6. VSM analysis
540 and 580 nm in the broad visible region. This emission corresponds
to the intrinsic luminescence band of the composite produced. By The magnetic hysteresis loops of the prepared sample were traced as
changing the concentration of ABH, the intrinsic luminous band can be shown in Fig. 15. Interestingly, the loops differ from normal ferromag­
changed. In addition to NBE, native point defects in the composite are netic (ABH) or ferrimagnetic (CZF) materials. One can observe a dip at
the direct cause of the broad visible emissions. Many other types of H = 0. Table 6 contains the remanent magnetization (Mr), the coercivity
potential defects such as oxygen vacancies (VO), metal vacancies (VM), (Hc), and the saturation magnetization (Ms). The maximum remanence,
oxygen interstitials (Oi), metal interstitials (Mi), metal or oxygen anti- saturation magnetization, and positive intrinsic coercivity of 7.85 emu/
sites (OM or MO), and their complexes have been proposed for visible g, 20.44 emu/g, and 2.0109 kOe, respectively, are obtained for the
emission so far [20]. On the other hand, it has also been found that the AC90-10 nanocomposite. From this, we can conclude that the weight
visible emission in semiconductors is caused by electron-hole percentage of ABH dominates the magnetization property of the com­
recombination. posite material produced. As already mentioned, magnetization within
Fig. 14 shows the PL spectra of the composite. The peaks are asso­ the manufactured composite material occurs mainly for two reasons.
ciated with green emissions at 570 nm, which can be caused by radiative The magnetic bias (dipole and exchange interaction) plays an important
defects associated with interface traps at grain boundaries or by electron
transition from Mi to holes in the valence band [21]. This phenomenon
can be caused by an increase in intrinsic defects or the appearance of
new electronic levels between the conduction band and the valence
band. In this way, defect-controlled processes determine the emission
behavior of the composite materials produced. The increase in lumi­
nescence intensity should be caused by an increase in the distance be­
tween ABH and CZF nanoparticles within the composite, although
defect-controlled methods are used in all samples. It is known that the
optical absorption of photocatalysts has a major impact on their activity
[22]. Their photocatalytic activity correlates directly with the intensity
of the photoluminescence (PL) signals.
In addition to adding metal fractions, the PL intensities of the sam­
ples are reduced because neighboring metal ions are now closer
together, allowing for energy transfer. As a result, a non-radiative decay
process leads to a concentration quenching process. However, the
intrinsic linkages are quite complex and can only be revealed accurately
based on PL properties directly related to dopant species. For band-band
PL signals, the rate of separation of photoinduced charges increases with
decreasing PL intensity and may also indicate increased photocatalytic
activity. The more oxygen vacancies and defects on the surface, the
higher the photocatalytic activity. From this, it can be concluded that in
some cases PL measurements can be used to quickly assess the Fig. 15. M − H loop of ABH-CZF composite at room temperature.

10
A. Sudhakaran et al. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134

Table 6
Values for Mr, Ms, Hc, μB, Keff, Ha, and the Mr/Ms ratio in ABH-CZF
nanocomposites.
Sample Mr Ms Hc Mr/Ms μB Keff Ha
(emu/ (emu/ (kOe) (erg/ (kOe)
g) g) cm3)

90–10 7.852 20.44 2.0109 0.3841 0.854 42.815 4.1893

80–20 7.286 20.07 0.8458 0.3630 0.838 17.682 1.7620
70–30 7.031 19.92 0.5825 0.3529 0.832 12.086 1.2135
60–40 6.734 19.72 0.4548 0.3414 0.824 9.342 0.9475

role in the magnetic behavior of the composite. In general, the magnetic

grains are separated within the hard and soft sites with no exchange
interaction inside their inner part and with exchange interaction at the
interface part. The main magnetic interactions are between grains that
are hard-hard, soft-soft, and hard-soft. The hard-hard and soft-soft grains
are particularly affected by the dipolar interaction. The hard-soft grains
represent the exchange interaction. In the present case, ABH is a hard
magnet compared to CZF nanoparticles. Thus, the magnetization must
be due to magnetocrystalline anisotropy and exchange interaction.
Compared to CZF, ABH has a large anisotropy field. Thus, it becomes
difficult to achieve reverse magnetization at the lower field. The
magnetization of soft magnetic phase (CZF) grains in composites de­
pends on the exchange interaction between hard-soft magnetic phases
due to the lower magnetocrystalline anisotropy of CZF. These in­
teractions at the interface create new types of magnetism in the material.
As shown in Fig. 16, the magnetic properties of the composite decrease
as ABH decreases. Importantly, the distribution of magnetically hard
and soft magnetic phases, synthesis techniques, sintering temperature,
average grain size and shape of individual phases, and other factors
affect the magnetic properties of the composite.
A plot of magnetic bias could be obtained by plotting loop width
versus magnetization. Essentially, the modulus of the applied field (HC)
is added at a given magnetization to determine the loop width (ΔH). In
other words, the loop width is the sum of the moduli of the coercive
fields, both positive and negative. For all composites, the curves are not
all the same. For different samples, it is seen in different ways. The
interaction plot (Fig. 17) shows that the shape of the ΔH-M plots changes
as ABH decreases in the composite. The magnetic bias between the ABH
and CZF nanoparticles is shown by the hump in the ΔH-M plot. It is
important to note that the parent samples do not have a hump since the
M − H curve is not squeezed at M = 0. The use of a similar technique to
see the magnetic interaction in the composite has been reported [18,23].
As the ABH in the composite decreases, the hump increases. In other
words, as ABH decreases in the composite, as shown in Fig. 17, the
magnitude of the magnetic bias of two magnetic phases increases. The
maximum hump is seen at M = 0 for the AC 60-40 sample. The spin
orientation correlated with ABH and CZF is in the saturation state in the
Fig. 16. Relation between MS, Keff, Ha, and HC concerning ABH concentration.
Fig. 17. Width of the loop (ΔH) versus magnetization of ABH-CZF
nanocomposite.
direction of the applied field. Due to the reduced anisotropy in the CZF
when the reversed field is applied, the spins correlated with the CZF
begin to rotate in the direction of the applied field. This is a result of
CZF’s soft magnetic properties. However, due to the strong anisotropy of
ABH, it is difficult for its spin to reverse along the applied magnetic field.
While the spin on the surface of CZF is oriented in the reverse field di­
rection at the specific reverse field, the spin on the surface of ABH is
prevented from rotating in the reverse field direction. Because spin in­
teractions between independent phases predominate over interfacial
interactions.
The surface spin of nano-ABH will similarly attempt to align with the
applied magnetic field. However, the high magnetocrystalline anisot­
ropy barrier of ABH has an impact on spin alignment. The surface spin of
ABH and CZF interact when the applied magnetic field crosses the
magnetocrystalline anisotropy barrier of ABH, and the surface spin of
ABH aligns with the spin of CZF. This phenomenon reduces the
randomness of the spin direction at the ABH surface, which increases the
MS of the composites. The spin orientations depend on the externally
applied field as well as the spin interaction at the ABH and CZF interface.
The spin of CZF and ABH is coherently aligned in the direction of the
applied field as the applied field decreases. Until the applied magnetic
field reaches the magnetocrystalline anisotropy barrier, the spin could
continue to coherently rotate. A significant reduction in magnetization
can result from the abrupt disruption of coherent spin alignment below
this field [24]. The soft phase spin flips at a lower field compared to the
hard-magnetic phase. This compression of the magnetization curve is
observed due to spin-torque effects or exchange biases between the two
different composite magnetic materials.
The squareness ratio (Mr/Ms) can be used to interpret the magnetic
interaction at the surface interface of ABH and CZF grains. It is a ratio of
remanent magnetization (Mr) to saturation magnetization (Ms), as
shown in Table 6. The Mr/Ms ratio provides necessary information on
the type of inter-grain exchange interactions. In other words, it shows
the magnetic orientation to the nearest easy axis just after the magnetic
field is turned off. Mr/Ms = 0.5 leads to a random, non-interacting grain
size distribution. The grains interact by magnetostatic interaction when
Mr/Ms < 0.5 [24]. For our prepared sample, the value is 0.3, resulting in
multi-domain grains being formed using magnetostatic interaction. The
value of the saturation magnetization decreases with a decrease in ABH
in the compound. This is because decreasing ABH tends to increase a
larger number of randomized magnetic moments. Thus, magnetic

11
A. Sudhakaran et al.
moments become static at lower CZF content in the composite. The net
magnetic moment was calculated using the formula [25];
MW × MS
nB = (25)
5585
Where MW represents the molecular weight of ferrites (g/mol).
The influence of ABH in CZF nanoparticles introduces changes in
coercivity and magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant (Keff) measured
using the equation;
0.96Keff
HC = (26)
MS
Ha =
2Keff
(27)
MS
Here Ha is the anisotropy field [26]. The decrease in coercivity is a result
of the change in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant, which may
be due to the lower magnetocrystalline anisotropy of CZF nanoparticles.
5. Conclusion
Physical mixing was used to synthesize Al-doped barium hexaferrite/
cobalt-zinc ferrite hybrid nanocomposite, and the influence of ABH
concentration on the structural, elastic, morphological, compositional,
and optical properties of the material was studied. The results show that
changing the concentration of the hard site material can alter the
physical properties of the composite produced. The prepared hetero­
structure composite showed successful hexagonal and spinel formation
according to XRD analysis. Elastic moduli and Debye temperature were
estimated using FTIR analysis. The sample AC 60-40 shows that it can be
typically used as effective shielding against gamma radiation, flexible
solar cells, and in high-density optical storage devices. The optical
properties of the prepared composite, including transmission, absorp­
tion, refractive index, and Urbach energy, were estimated using UV
analysis. Using Tauc’s diagram, the direct and indirect bandgap energies
are estimated, which increase with increasing ABH in the composite.
Among all the observed composites, AC90-10 has a smaller crystallite
size (22 nm) with good morphology and a larger surface area (61 cm2/g)
with an optical band gap of 1.67 eV (absorption and transmission in the
visible), suggesting this be a suitable candidate for a visible-light active
photocatalyst. Also, the overall structural and optical properties of all
composites (direct band gap 1.42 to 1.67) prove that the material can be
used in tunable photonic applications. The refractive index (n) varies
between 3.0 and 3.2, which corresponds to mercury sulphide (3) and
silicon (3.2), which can be used for photoelectrochemical cells, optical
detectors, or reflectors. This type of composite is recommended due to
its very high transmittance in the spectral region from 400 nm to 800
nm. The room temperature magnetic hysteresis results show that an
increase in saturation magnetization arises from a decrease in disor­
dered surface spin generated by an ABH-induced reduction in particle
size. The maximum values for Ms (7.85 emu/g), Mr (20.44 emu/g), and
Hc (2.01 kOe) are obtained for AC90-10 nanocomposite material. By
plotting loop width (ΔH) versus magnetization (M), the magnetic
interaction between ABH and CZF in the composite is studied. Further,
the squareness ratio Mr/Ms is about 0.3 for all the samples prepared,
resulting in multi-domain grains being formed by magnetostatic inter­
action. In the current study, the weight percentage of ABH in the com­
posite is directly proportional to its magnetic parameters which can be
used in rewritable storage technologies (hard drives) that require lower
saturation magnetization and coercive fields for data storage [27].
Funding
The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were
received for this work.
12
Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134
Author’s contribution
Allwin Sudhakaran: Conceptualization, Methodology, Materials
Preparation, characterization, Writing—original draft. Ashwin Sudha­
karan: formal analysis, Writing—review, and editing. Sivasenthil E:
Supervision, Investigation, Resources. All authors read and approved the
final manuscript.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Data availability
Data will be made available on request.
Acknowledgment
The authors are grateful to our President, Chancellor, Chief Execu­
tive Officer, Vice-Chancellor, and Registrar of Karpagam Academy of
Higher Education, Coimbatore, India, for providing facilities and
encouragement.
References
[1] C. Robert, Pullar Hexagonal ferrites: a review of the synthesis, properties and
applications of hexaferrite ceramics, Prog. Mater. Sci. 57 (Issue 7) (2012)
1191–1334, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2012.04.001. ISSN 0079 6425.
[2] D.A. Vinnik, V.E. Zhivulin, A.Yu Starikov, S.A. Gudkova, E.A. Trofimov, A.
V. Trukhanov, S.V. Trukhanov, V.A. Turchenko, V.V. Matveev, E. Lahderanta,
E. Fadeev, T.I. Zubar, M.V. Zdorovets, L. A, Kozlovsky Corrigendum to “Influence
of titanium substitution on structure, magnetic and electric properties of barium
hexaferrites BaFe12-xTixO19, J. Magn. Magn Mater. 503 (2020), 166544, https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2020.166544. ISSN 0304-8853.
[3] Martin Hähsler, Michael Zimmermann, Stefan Heißler, Silke Behrens Sc-doped
barium hexaferrite nanodiscs: tuning morphology and magnetic properties,
J. Magn. Magn Mater. 500 (2020), 166349, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jmmm.2019.166349. ISSN 0304-8853.
[4] C. Debangsu Roy, P.S. Shivakumara, Anil Kumar Observation of the exchange
spring behavior in hard–soft-ferrite nanocomposite, J. Magn. Magn Mater. 321
(Issue 5) (2009) L11–L14, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2008.09.017. ISSN
0304-8853.
[5] N.A. Algarou, Y. Slimani, M.A. Almessiere, A. Sadaqat, A.V. Trukhanov, M.
A. Gondal, A.S. Hakeem, S.V. Trukhanov, M.G. Vakhitov, D.S. Klygach,
A. Manikandan, Baykal A functional Sr0.5Ba0.5Sm0.02Fe11.98O4/x
(Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4) hard–soft ferrite nanocomposites, Struct. Magnet. Microwave
Propert. Nanomater. 10 (2020) 2134, https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10112134.
[6] M.A. Almessiere, Y. Slimani, A.V. Trukhanov, A. Sadaqat, A. Demir Korkmaz, N.
A. Algarou, H. Aydın, A. Baykal, Muhammet S. Toprak, Review on functional bi-
component nanocomposites based on hard/soft ferrites: structural, magnetic,
electrical and microwave absorption properties, Nano-Struct. Nano-Objects 26
(2021), 100728, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoso.2021.100728. ISSN 2352-
507X.
[7] N.A. Algarou, Y. Slimani, M.A. Almessiere, S. Rehman, M. Younas, B. Unal,
A. Demir Korkmaz, M.A. Gondal, A.V. Trukhanov, A. Baykal, I. Nahvi, Developing
the magnetic, dielectric and anticandidal characteristics of SrFe12O19/
(Mg0.5Cd0.5Dy0.03Fe1.97O4)x hard/soft ferrite nanocomposites, J. Taiwan Inst.
Chem. Eng. 113 (2020) 344–362, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtice.2020.07.022.
ISSN 1876-1070.
[8] Jianxun Qiu, Qiguo Zhang, Mingyuan Gu, Haigen Shen, Effect of aluminum
substitution on microwave absorption properties of barium hexaferrite, J. Appl.
Phys. 98 (2005), 103905, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2135412, 0021-8979.
[9] J. Feng, R. Xiong, Y. Liu, et al., Preparation of cobalt substituted zinc ferrite
nanopowders via auto-combustion route: an investigation to their structural and
magnetic properties, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 29 (2018) 18358–18371,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-018-9950-y.
[10] Tauseef Munawar, Faisal Iqbal, Sadaf Yasmeen, Khalid Mahmood, Altaf Hussain,
Multi metal oxide NiO-CdO-ZnO nanocomposite–synthesis, structural, optical,
electrical properties and enhanced sunlight driven photocatalytic activity, Ceram.
Int. 46 (2421) (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.09.236. ISSN
0272-8842.
[11] D. Guruvammal, S. Selvaraj, S. Meenakshi Sundar, Structural, optical and magnetic
properties of Co doped ZnO DMS nanoparticles by microwave irradiation method,
J. Magn. Magn Mater. 452 (335) (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jmmm.2017.12.097. ISSN 0304-8853.
A. Sudhakaran et al.
[12] Sanjeet Kumar Paswan, Suman Kumari, Manoranjan Kar, Astha Singh,
Himanshu Pathak, J.P. Borah, Lawrence Kumar Optimization of structure-property
relationships in nickel ferrite nanoparticles annealed at different temperature,
J. Phys. Chem. Solid. 151 (2021), 109928, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jpcs.2020.109928. ISSN 0022-3697.
[13] Kamal Kumar Khichar, Suraj Bhan Dangi, Vimala Dhayal, Upendra Kumar, Sonia
Zeba Hashmi, Veera Sadhu, Banwari Lal Choudhary, Shalendra Kumar, Savaş Kaya,
Aleksey E. Kuznetsov, Saurabh Dalela, Saral K. Gupta, Parvez Ahmad, Alvi
Structural, optical, and surface morphological studies of ethyl cellulose/graphene
oxide nanocomposites, Polym. Compos. 41 (7) (2020) 2792–2802, https://doi.org/
10.1002/pc.25576.
[14] V.R. Akshay, B. Arun, Guruprasad Mandal, M. Vasundhara, Visible range optical
absorption, Urbach energy estimation and paramagnetic response in Cr-doped
TiO2 nanocrystals derived by a sol–gel method, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 21
(2019) 12991–13004, https://doi.org/10.1039/C9CP01351B.
[15] Lu Zhang, Shumin Han, Li Yuan, Shuqin Yang, Xin Zhao, Jingjing Liu, Effect of
magnesium on the crystal transformation and electrochemical properties of A2B7-
type metal hydride alloys, J. Electrochem. Soc. 161 (2014) A1844–12, https://doi.
org/10.1149/2.0641412jes.
[16] E. Nurfani, A. Lailani, W. Kesuma, M. Anrokhi, G. Kadja, M. Rozana, UV sensitivity
enhancement in Fe-doped ZnO films grown by ultrafast spray pyrolysis, Opt. Mater.
112 (2021) 110768, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2020.110768.
[17] Q. Zhang, Z. Xia, Y.B. Cheng, et al., High-capacity optical long data memory based
on enhanced Young’s modulus in nanoplasmonic hybrid glass composites, Nat.
Commun. 9 (2018) 1183, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03589-y.
[18] Murli Kumar Manglam, Sushree Nibedita Rout, Suman Kumari, Sunil Kumar, Part
2, in: Manoranjan Kar Structural, Magnetic and Optical Properties of (0.45)
Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 + (0.55) BaFe12O19 Composite Materials Today: Proceedings,
vol. 57, 2022, pp. 418–421, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.12.431. ISSN
2214-7853.
[19] Ammar Qasem, Re: what Are Some Materials with High Refractive Index, but
Transparent in Visible and Near IR?, 2021. Retrieved from, https://www.research
gate.net/post/What-are-some-materials-with-high-refractive-index-but-transparen
t-in-visible-and-near-IR/6054fe9a09d63750fe0c96a5/citation/download.
13
Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 174 (2023) 111134
[20] M.N. Mehathaj, N. Padmanathan, E. Sivasenthil, Doping catalysed unintentional
hydrogenation effect on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of Co-
doped ZnO semiconductor nanoparticles, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 33 (2022)
11523–11541, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-08126-8.
[21] Talaat M. Hammad, Jamil K. Salem, Ayman Abu Amsha, K. Nasser, Hejazy Optical
and magnetic characterizations of zinc substituted copper ferrite synthesized by a
co-precipitation chemical method, J. Alloys Compd. 741 (2018) 123–130, https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.01.123. ISSN 0925-8388.
[22] Liqiang Jing, Yichun Qu, Baiqi Wang, Shudan Li, Baojiang Jiang, Libin Yang,
Wei Fu, Honggang Fu, Sun Jiazhong Review of photoluminescence performance of
nano-sized semiconductor materials and its relationships with photocatalytic
activity, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 90 (Issue 12) (2006) 1773–1787, https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.solmat.2005.11.007. ISSN 0927-0248.
[23] Rabichandra Pandey, Lagen Kumar Pradhan, Suman Kumari, Murli
Kumar Manglam, Sunil Kumar, Manoranjan Kar, Surface magnetic interactions
between Bi0.85La0.15FeO3 and BaFe12O19 nanomaterials in (1-x)
Bi0.85La0.15FeO3-(x)BaFe12O19 nanocomposites, J. Magn. Magn Mater. 508
(2020), 166862, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2020.166862. ISSN 0304-8853.
[24] Murli Kumar Manglam, Jyotirekha Mallick, Suman Kumari, Rabichandra Pandey,
Manoranjan Kar Crystal structure and magnetic properties study on barium
hexaferrite (BHF) and cobalt zinc ferrite (CZF) in composites, Solid State Sci. 113
(2021), 106529, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2020.106529. ISSN
1293-2558.
[25] M. Hadi, K.M. Batoo, A. Chauhan, O.M. Aldossary, R. Verma, Y. Yang, Tuning of
structural, dielectric, and electronic properties of Cu doped Co–Zn ferrite
nanoparticles for multilayer inductor chip applications, Magnetochemistry 7
(2021) 53, https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry7040053.
[26] Murli Kumar Manglam, Suman Kumari, Lagen Kumar Pradhan, Sunil Kumar,
Manoranjan Kar Lattice strain caused magnetism and magnetocrystalline
anisotropy in Zn modified barium hexaferrite, Physica B (Amsterdam, Neth.) 588
(2020), 412200, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2020.412200. ISSN 0921-4526.
[27] Murli Kumar Manglam, Suman Kumari, Jyotirekha Mallick, Anant Shukla,
Manoranjan Kar Magnetic interaction between soft and hard ferrimagnetic phases
in BaFe12O19 + CuFe2O4 composite, Phys. Scripta 97 (2022), 035809, https://
doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/ac53c5.