Nano body-centered cubic CoFe₂alloy precursor for cobalt ferrite via sonoreduction process

A stable nano body-centered cubic (bcc) CoFe₂alloy was isolated by employing a combination of N₂H₄.H₂O reduction and sonochemical route under basic conditions. This alloy has proved to be a potential precursor for CoFe₂O₄production. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirms the formation of a bcc phase CoFe₂alloy with particle size <10 nm and spherical morphology. Thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the oxidation of the alloy composition showing a weight gain between 200 and 500 °C, which corresponds to fully oxidized CoFe₂O₄. A significant increase in the saturation magnetization (M_s= 230 emu/g) for the nano CoFe₂alloy was observed in comparison with that of the theoretical bulk value (200 emu/g) at 300 K.