Effect of Al2O3, ZnO and SiO2 on the Magnetic and Structural Properties of Fe2TiO3 Nanocomposite Synthetized by Mechanical Milling Technique
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In this paper, FeTiO 3 nanocomposites were synthesized via mechanical alloying to investigate the influence of milling time as well as the effect of Al 2 O 3 , ZnO and SiO 2 incorporation on their structural and magnetic properties. Comprehensive characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (ATR), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Prior to milling, XRD analysis identified distinct peaks corresponding to pure Fe, Fe 2 O 3 , and TiO₂. As the milling time increased, progressive structural evolution was observed, leading to the formation of FeTiO 3 after 30 hours of milling. The addition of Al 2 O 3 , ZnO, and SiO 2 to FeTiO₃ nanocomposites led to the creation of new phases, such as ZnFe₂O₄, AlFeO₃, Fe 2 SiO 4 and Fe₂TiO₅. SEM-EDS analysis provided insights into the morphological evolution and elemental distribution throughout the milling process, further confirming structural transformations. The magnetic properties of FeTiO₃ nanocomposites were investigated as a function of milling time by analyzing coercivity (Hc), saturation magnetization (Ms), remanent magnetization (Mr), and squareness ratio (Mr/Ms) through hysteresis loop measurements. The highest values of Hc and Mr were achieved after 30 hours of milling, reaching 22.34 Oe and 0.1824 emu/g, respectively. Notably, the maximum saturation magnetization (Ms) of 21.4 emu/g was observed at 5 hours of milling. The addition of SiO 2 further enhanced the magnetic properties of FeTiO₃ nanocomposites, increasing Ms to 28.98 emu/g, while, the Hc, Mr and Mr/Ms reach a maximum value of 97.96 Oe, 1.074 emu/g and 0.04 for Al 2 O 3 addition, respectively. This study highlights the correlation between mechanical milling parameters and the resulting structural and magnetic properties, providing valuable insights into the potential applications of FeTiO₃-based nanocomposites in advanced technological fields.
