Preparation and investigation of bulk and thin film samples of strontium ferrite

  In this article, bulk and thin film samples of strontium ferrite have been studied. Due to the high electrical resistivity in strontium ferrite, energy loss due to eddy currents reduces and because of this, it can be used in high frequency magnetic circuits. On the other hand, strontium ferrite has attracted much attention as a permanent magnet. At first, we study the preparation process of bulk samples of strontium ferrite by a solid state reaction technique. In preparation of samples, to optimize the magnetic properties, we have used the stoichiometry factor (n = Fe2O3 / SrO) of 5.25. In addition, we have used additives such as CaO and SiO2 to control grain growth. The samples have been prepared in two series: Isotropic and Anisotropic. For preparation of anisotropic samples, the magnetic field of 1T has been used for orientation of the grains during the press. Then, X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), EDAX analysis and Magnetometer, was used for analyzing and comparing of structural and magnetic properties of isotropic and anisotropic samples. The results indicate that, due to the applied magnetic field, the structural and Magnetic properties of anisotropic samples improved efficiently because of the orientation of the grains during the press. In the next stage, we used bulk samples to prepare strontium ferrite thin films by Pulsed Laser Deposition technique (PLD). The Si (111) substrate has been used to prepare the thin films. Then we have studied the microstructure of thin films by X-ray diffraction, SEM and EDAX analysis. These studies on different samples show that for the preparation of crystalline phase of strontium ferrite thin films, the substrate temperature must be higher than 800˚C. The optimum conditions for preparation of strontium, ferrite thin films have been achieved on the substrate temperature of 840˚C and oxygen pressure of 75 mtorr

Growth and Chemical Composition of Pistachio Seedlings under Different Levels of Manganese in Greenhouse Conditions

Introduction: Pistachio is one of the most important crops in many regions of Iran with respect of production and export. There are more than 470000 ha of nonbearing and bearing pistachio trees mainly in Kerman province. Despite the economic importance of this crop, very little information is available on its nutritional requirements. Pistachio trees like other crops need to macro and micro nutrients. one of these elements is manganese (Mn). Manganese is an essential mineral nutrient, playing a key role in several physiological processes, particularly photosynthesis, respiration and nitrogen assimilation. This element is normally supplied to the plants by soil. Therefore, soil conditions affect its availability to plants. Soils with high pH, calcareous soils, especially those with poor drainage and high organic matter, are among the soils which produce Mn-deficient plants. Calcium carbonate is the major inactivation factor of Mn in calcareous soils. The soils of Iran are predominantly calcareous in which micronutrients deficiency, including Mn, is observed due to the high pH and nutrient fixation. The objective of this research was to examine the effect of manganese application on growth and chemical composition of pistachio seedlings in some calcareous soils with different chemical and physical properties. Materials and Methods: For this purpose a greenhouse experiment was carried out as factorial (two factors including soil type and Mn levels) experiment in completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments were consisted of three levels of Mn (0, 10 and 20 mg Mn Kg-1 soil as Manganese sulfate) and 12 different soils from Rafsanjan region in Southern Iran. Soil samples were air dried and crushed to pass through a 2-mm sieve, and some physical and chemical properties of soils such as texture, electrical conductivity, pH, organic matter content, calcium carbonate equivalent, cation exchange capacity and iron, manganese, copper and zinc availability were determined. Then plastic pots were filled with 5 kg of these soils. Pistachio seeds (cv Badami Zarand) were placed in muslin sacks and pretreated for 24 h with Benomyl solution. The germinated seeds were planted in each pot, and each pot was irrigated with distilled water. Nitrogen and phosphorous were applied uniformly to all pots at the rate of 50 mg kg−1 soil as ammonium nitrate and potassium dihydrogen phosphate forms, respectively. Zinc, iron and copper also were added to treatments at level of 5 mg kg−1 soil as zinc sulfate, iron sequestrine138 and copper sulfate. After 24 weeks, the seedlings were cut at the soil surface, and the roots were washed free of soil. Leaves, stems and roots were dried at 70 oC for 48 h in an oven. The total leaf, stem, and root dry weights were recorded. The ground plant samples were dry- ashed at 550oC, dissolved in 2 N HCl, and made to volume with hot distilled water. Plant Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe concentrations determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. All data were statistically analyzed according to the technique of analysis variance (ANOVA) by MSTATC. Results and Discussion: Results indicated that the application of manganese increased leaf, stem and root dry weight of pistachio seedlings so that the maximum amount of the dry weight of roots stems and leaves of pistachio seedlings were observed at 10 mg Mn kg-1soil. Application of 10 mg Mn kg-1 soil increased leaf, stem and root dry weight by 19.2%, 25.2% and 23.9% in comparison to control, respectively. Chemical composition (concentration and uptake) of shoot of pistachio seedlings was also affected by Mn application. Mn application decreased the concentration and uptake of iron, concentrations of copper and zinc in Pistachio seedling shoots so that the highest concentrations of these elements were observed in control treatment. Reductions in concentrations of zinc and copper elements in 10 mg Mn kg-1 treatment were not statistically significant but in 20 mg Mn kg-1 treatment they were significant. Conclusions: The results of this research showed that the application of 10 mg Mn kg-1soilto highly calcareous soils significantly increased most of growth parameters of pistachio seedlings in comparison to control. Although higher amounts of manganese (20 mg Mn kg-1 soil) reduced the growth parameters than the previous level. In overall, the results of this study indicated that for optimum growth and chemical composition of pistachio seedlings in calcareous soils, application of 10 mg Mn kg-1 sol is necessary

Influence of La3+ on structural, magnetic, dielectric, electrical and modulus spectroscopic characteristics of single phase CoFe2−xLaxO4 nanoparticles

In this work, we have studied the influence of La3+ substitution on structural, magnetic, dielectric, electrical and modulus spectroscopic characteristics of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles synthesized by starch-assisted sol–gel combustion method. The powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the formation of single-phase CoFe2−xLaxO4 (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20) spinel ferrite nanoparticles. Raman spectroscopy study also reveals the formation of single phase spinel ferrite crystal structure. The morphological feature of synthesized ferrite nanoparticle was observed by scanning electron microscopy that demonstrate formation of spherical nanoparticles with grain size 10–50 nm. The presence of constituent’s, i.e., Co, Fe and La were authenticated by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The magnetic parameters are measured by employing vibrating sample magnetometer. The saturation magnetization decreases with La3+ substitution, whereas coercivity shows anomalous behaviour. Cation redistribution in spinel ferrite nanoparticles are confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The variation of dielectric constant (ϵ′, ϵʺ), loss tangent (tanδ), ac conductivity (σ), electric modulus (M′, Mʺ) and impedance (Z′, Zʺ) as a function of La3+ ion concentration and frequency has been investigated. The dielectric constant and ac conductivity increases with increase of La3+ substitution, whereas dielectric loss tangent exhibits anomalous behaviour. The modulus spectra reveal two semicircles associated with grain and grain boundary effects. The cole–cole plots in modulus formalism show that the electrical characteristics contribute from both the grains and grain boundaries. Modulus spectra suggest that the distribution of relaxation times and conduction mechanism are influenced by La3+ ion substitution in cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic-Program NPU I [LO1504