Structural and magnetic properties of Sc-substituted cobalt ferrites were studied by X-ray diffraction, Raman
spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and vibrating-sample magnetometry. The  Sc_xCoFe_2-xO₄ (x ≤
0.3) specimens prepared as thin films by a sol-gel deposition method were polycrystalline having cubic spinel
structure with a small increase in the lattice constant compared to CoFe₂O₄. The Raman spectral analyses suggested
that the Sc-doped specimens have higher tetrahedral Co2⁺ population than that of pristine CoFe₂O₄. The
magnetic hysteresis curves of the Sc_xCoFe_2-xO₄ specimens indicated that the saturation and remanent magnetization
decrease proportionally with the increase of Sc composition (x). The decrease in the ferrimagnetic
parameters is understandable in terms of the octahedral substitution of non-magnetic Sc3⁺ ions. However, the
octahedral Sc3⁺ ions caused an increase of the coercivity.