Effect of CTAB on morphology and magnetic properties of cobalt particles prepared by liquid phase reduction method

Using CTAB as surfactant active agent, the spicate cobalt particles were synthesized through liquid phase reduction method. The cobalt particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS), the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The results show that the spicate cobalt particles with CTAB are assembled by nanoplates, mainly composed by HCP structure, while the cobalt particles without CTAB are mainly composed by FCC structure. For the cobalt particles with CTAB, saturation magnetization and coercivity are 116.17A·m²·kg^-1 and 20.3kA·m^-1, respectively, while for the cobalt particles without CTAB, saturation magnetization and coercivity are 158.24A·m²·kg^-1 and 9.174kA·m^-1, respectively. The differences in magnetic properties mainly result from grain size, magnetocrystalline anisotropy, shape anisotropy and defect of cobalt particles.