Effect of La doping on structural, magnetic and microstructural properties of Ba1 ? x La x Fe12O19 ceramics prepared by citrate combustion process

La-substituted M-type barium ferrites, Ba_{1 − x} La _x Fe₁₂O₁₉, with x = 0.00–0.30 were successfully prepared via a citrate combustion process. Properties of the ceramics were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry and scanning electron microscopy. XRD patterns revealed only magnetoplumbite structure without minor phases. With increasing the La substituted content, the saturation magnetization (M _S ) was increased and reached to a maximum at x = 0.15 and then decreased but coercivity (H _C ) was increased. SEM micrographs of the dense ceramics showed the hexagonal platelet shape at low La content and the irregular shape at high La content.