Aluminium and praseodymium doped M-type hexaferrites for electric vehicle applications

The booming demand for electric vehicles, driven by the pursuit of enhanced efficiency, faces significant hurdles attributed to the costly integration of rare earth magnets like NdFeB. M-type strontium ferrite emerges as a promising alternative owing to its economic viability and exceptional magnetic characteristics, rendering it suitable for electric vehicle motor applications. This research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of SrFe12O19 and Sr1-xPrxFe10Al2O19 (where x = 0.00 to 0.20) hexaferrites, with praseodymium (Pr) substitution. Magnetic particles were synthesized utilizing the sol-gel auto-combustion technique, employing a calcination temperature of 1100 degrees C for a duration of 4 h. Structural and magnetic studies of aluminium-praseodymium (Al-Pr) doped samples are performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM). The structural analysis reveals a decrease in both particle size from 42 nm to 31.76 nm and lattice parameter with increasing doping concentration. Magnetic analysis yields crucial insights: Al3+ doping induces a substantial rise in coercivity from 5500 Oe to 10,500 Oe which is quite comparable to NdFeB, while Pr doping shows a subtle impact, enhancing remanence from 17 emu/g to 23.05 emu/g. These findings underscore the potential for optimizing magnetic properties through meticulous control of dopant concentrations in M-type hexaferrites, thereby positioning them as promising substitutes for rare earth magnets.