Abstract
Nickel cobalt ferrite($Ni_{0.5}Co_{0.5}Fe_2O_4$) powder was prepared through the ceramic route by the calcination of a stoichiometric mixture of NiO, CoO and $Fe_2O_3$ at $1100^{\circ}C$. The pressed pellets of $Ni_{0.5}Co_{0.5}Fe_2O_4$ were isothermally reduced in pure hydrogen at $800{\sim}1100^{\circ}C$. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis, the reduction behavior and the kinetic reaction mechanisms of the synthesized ferrite were studied. The initial ferrite powder and the various reduction products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, reflected light microscope and vibrating sample magnetometer to reveal the effect of hydrogen reduction on the composition, microstructure and magnetic properties of the produced Fe-Ni-Co alloy. The arrhenius equation with the approved mathematical formulations for the gas solid reaction was applied to calculate the activation energy($E_a$) and detect the controlling reaction mechanisms. In the initial stage of hydrogen reduction, the reduction rate was controlled by the gas diffusion and the interfacial chemical reaction. However, in later stages, the rate was controlled by the interfacial chemical reaction. The nature of the hydrogen reduction and the magnetic property changes for nickel cobalt ferrite were compared with the previous result for nickel ferrite. The microstructural development of the synthesized Fe-Ni-Co alloy with an increase in the reduction temperature improved its soft magnetic properties by increasing the saturation magnetization($M_s$) and by decreasing the coercivity($H_c$). The Fe-Ni-Co alloy showed higher saturation magnetization compared to Fe-Ni alloy.
