Chemical synthesis, characterizations and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Fe50Co50 alloy

Nanocrystalline Fe50Co50 alloy has been synthesized successfully by chemical reduction route using superhydride as reducing agent and oleic acid and oleylamine as capping agents. Phase purity, crystallite size and lattice parameters of the synthesized NPs are determined by X-ray powder diffraction method. FeCo alloy crystallizes in body centered cubic (bcc) structure having crystallite size equal to 29 nm and lattice parameters equal to 2.8546 A. The size and shape morphologies of the material were studied by SEM analysis. SEM micrograph study shows the average particle size to be 60 nm and indicates the appearance of agglomerates of the nano-particles consisting of several crystallites. The room temperature magnetic hysteresis studies indicate ferromagnetic behavior of the materials. The values of saturation magnetization and coercivity were 65 emu/g and 460 Oe, respectively. Magnetic properties of the material were interpreted on the basis of fine particle magnetism.