Molten salt growth and magnetic properties of octahedral CoFe2O4 crystals: effects of synthesis conditions

Abstract

Molten salts have been reported to be excellent media for preparation of crystals with special morphology. Via the molten salt synthesis (MSS) route, well defined octahedral CoFe₂O₄ crystals with the side length of about 0.5–1.5 μm were obtained in a series of molten salt systems, using superfine CoFe₂O₄ particles pre-synthesized through the hydrothermal process as the precursor. It was found that the calcining temperature, the reaction time, as well as the salt species and the content could significantly affect the crystallization habit and morphology of CoFe₂O₄ crystals. The magnetic test revealed that the synthesis conditions also had a remarkable influence on the magnetic parameters of the products.