Nanostructure magneto-optical thin films of rare earth (RE=Gd,Tb,Dy) doped cobalt spinel by sol-gel synthesis

A chemical sol-gel method was utilized to synthesize rare earth doped CoFe2O4 nanocrystalline films. The films were composed of nanometer grains with the spinel structure. Rare earth doped cobalt spinel ferrites were found to have alterations in magnetic and magneto-optical (MO) properties, with increases in their coercive force and enhancement of the MO rotation in the Tb(supra 3+) doped sample.