Investigated the effects of surfactant concentration on cobalt ferrite nanoparticles synthesized in reverse micelles

The use of reverse micelles as nanoscale hydrophilic voids of microemulsions in the manufacture of ferrites has been recognized since the 1960s, but there has been very little attention on the structural and magnetic properties with respect to surfactant concentration. This paper investigates the influence of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) concentrations on cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles prepared by reverse micelles at annealing temperatures 250 degrees C and 500 degrees C. Samples with varied cobalt to SDS ratios (Co: SDS = 1: 0.33, 1: 0.5, 1: 0.66) were subjected to XRD, TGA, TEM, FTIR and VSM Studies. All the samples exhibited single-phase spinel structures with crystalline diameters ranging from 10 to 18 nm. As the SDS concentration increased the crystallite size decreased. The TEM images showed the particle size in the range of 7.6 -17.7 nm. VSM investigations show the ferromagnetic behavior of the sample. The observed increase in coercivity with respect to annealing temperature for the same concentration reflects the single-domain nature of the nano particles. This underscores the crucial role of annealing conditions in customizing cobalt ferrite nanoparticles as a suitable application in longitudinal magnetic recording media.