Journal of Materiomics

Journal of Materiomics

Volume 6, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 661-670
Journal of Materiomics

High speed processing of NiFe2O4 spinel using a laser furnace

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmat.2020.05.003Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Dense NiFe2O4 spinel monoliths have been obtained by a Laser Furnace melting method from powder mixtures of NiO and Fe2O3.

  • High solidification rates induced non-equilibrium microstructures.

  • Nearly pure NiFe2O4 spinel phase has been obtained according to SEM, XRD and magnetic properties characterization.

  • The coercive field reduces and the saturation magnetization increases in the laser processed materials.

Abstract

The Laser Furnace (LF) method has been applied to directionally solidify NiFe2O4 spinel disks from a mixture of Fe and Ni oxides in order to obtain uniform, dense targets for controlled synthesis of spinel nanoparticles via Laser Ablation. Application of a CO2 laser in Line Scan mode onto a sample with the desired stoichiometry, enabled melt processing above 1580 °C at its outer surface layer. This process was carried out inside a continuous roller furnace at a maximum volume temperature of 1000 °C. Such combination helps avoid excessive thermal stress, crack formation and catastrophic failure of these magnetic ceramic monoliths. Higher energy incubation values yield increased molten volumes and a thicker resolidified surface layer with a dense microstructure. Despite the high solidification rates imposed, NiFe2O4 spinel is the main phase obtained according to X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and magnetization studies. LF processed samples exhibit a reduction of the coercive fields and an increase of the saturation magnetization values, evidence for soft ferromagnetism and characteristic of the magnetic behaviour associated with this spinel. This work demonstrates the convenience of the LF method for preparation of uniform, dense targets for Laser Ablation and other evaporation based techniques used in the fabrication of nanoparticles.

Keywords

NiFe2O4 spinel
Laser furnace process
X-ray diffraction
Magnetic properties

Cited by (0)

Prof. Bekir Özçelik has recieved his MSc and PhD degrees from Çukurova University (Adana-Turkey), completing the experimental part of his PhD thesis, related to harmonic and non-harmonic susceptibilities of various magnetic materials as anti-, ferro-magnetic and spin-glasses, at the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory (Leiden University-Holland) between 1988 and 1990. He currently holds a position as Professor at Çukurova University. His research work deals with High Tc superconductors, thermoelectrics, magnetic and nano materials. He keeps intensive scientific collaborations with the University of Zaragoza in Spain and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) at Tsukuba-Japan. He has published more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and 4 problem solution books in Mathematics.

Dr. Sezen Özçelik is working as an Assistant Professor at the Food Engineering Department of Hakkari University in Turkey. She completed her undergraduate education at the Faculty of Fisheries and the Biology Department (minor program), Faculty of Science at Çukurova University, Adana-Turkey. She received her Master and PhD degrees (2018) in the same Faculties at Çukurova University.

Dr. Hippolyte AMAVEDA is an Assistant Professor at the University of Zaragoza and a member of the “Materials and laser treatments to improve energy efficiency” research group at ICMA (Institute of Materials Science of Aragon), Spain. His work deals with the synthesis and processing of materials, particularly complex oxides, using solid state and advanced routes. He is currently involved in projects developing new ceramic composite materials which are of interest for several multinational companies.

Dr. Héctor Santos Barahona received his MSc in Chemical Science and Technology and PhD in Advanced Chemistry at the University Complutense of Madrid. He has 10 years of experience in research, initially at Complutense University of Madrid and later in the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC-ICMA) in the field of material’s corrosion protection and laser processing, respectively. He has been involved in applied research projects with private companies, as well as in publicly funded, national and EU projects, and is currently specialised in Laser Line Scan processing of surfaces.

Mr Carlos Borrel is a technician at the “Materials and laser treatments to improve energy efficiency” research group in the Aragón Institute for Materials Science (ICMA/University of Zaragoza-CSIC). He has expertise in electronics, having designed several electronic research instruments. During the last several years he has been involved in the development of new laser technologies for materials processing, based in Laser line scan melting techniques, as well as in LIFT and backwriting processes.

Prof. Sáez Puche received his Ph.D. from University Complutense of Madrid in 1979. He was associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry (1985–99) and since 1999 he is Full Professor. He was a postdoctoral Fullbright Researcher at Arizona State University (USA) 1979–80, visiting Professor in the Department of Chemistry at UC Berkeley (2002), CNRS-Paris (France), Poznan University (Poland), Ecole Superieure de Chimie (Strasbourg), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina) and Brunel University (UK). He was President of the Spanish Solid State Chemistry Group of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (2009–2017) and member of the Board of the European Solid State Chemistry Group, as well as of the Board of College 5B at the ILL in Grenoble (2009–15). Since 1980 he has co-authored more than 300 publications, and delivered over 100 presentations as plenary, keynote and invited lectures in different international conferences. He has supervised 12 Doctoral Theses, and Leads the Solid State Chemistry Group at the University Complutense of Madrid since 2016.

Prof. Germán F. de la Fuente, Ph.D. in Chemistry is a Research Professor of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), working at the Aragón Institute for Materials Science (ICMA/University of Zaragoza-CSIC). He has specialised in developing surface coating and modification processing methods for ceramics, glasses, metals and C nanostructures. He has started the Laser Applications Laboratory at ICMA about 25 years ago, developing Laser induced Zone Melting methods to control solidification and microstructure in both, Superconductor and Eutectic Ceramics. He later established facilities for Laser Ablation of materials with the objective of developing original, large-area surface and coatings fabrication methods on metals, alloys, ceramics and glass, in addition to C nanostructure preparative techniques based on laser irradiation of graphitic and molecular precursors. His work has attracted attention from several industries, resulting in a large number of projects with Industrial partners at the local, national and European levels. He is the co-inventor of 10 patents and the coauthor of more than 150 scientific papers.

Prof. Luis A. Angurel is a Professor at the University of Zaragoza and researcher at the “Materials and laser treatments to improve energy efficiency” research group in the Aragón Institute for Materials Science (ICMA/University of Zaragoza-CSIC). From the point of view of materials processing, he has been working in the development of laser melting techniques to texture bulk High Temperature Superconductors and other ceramic materials with different cylindrical and planar geometries. In addition, he has developed laser ablation methods, as well as surface structuring and printing methodologies based on direct writing and LIFT (Laser Induced Forward Transfer) techniques. In the field of characterisation, his main area of research has been the development of thermal stability characterisation techniques for superconducting devices. In addition, he has been working in the development of several applications in the framework of research projects with different industrial companies. He has published over 100 papers in international journals, coordinated 15 research projects and has supervised 7PhD theses related with superconductivity and laser material processing.

Peer review under responsibility of The Chinese Ceramic Society.