A ferrite is an iron oxide-containing magnetic ceramic material. They are ferrimagnetic, meaning they are attracted by magnetic fields and can be magnetized to become permanent magnets. Unlike many ferromagnetic materials, most ferrites are not electrically conductive, making them useful in applications like magnetic cores for transformers to suppress eddy currents.
A stack of ferrite magnets, with magnetic household items stuck to it.
A ferrite AM loopstick antenna in a portable radio, consisting of a wire wound around a ferrite core
A small permanent magnet electric motor disassembled, showing the two crescent-shaped ferrite magnets in the stator assembly (lower left)
A ferrimagnetic material is a material that has populations of atoms with opposing magnetic moments, as in antiferromagnetism, but these moments are unequal in magnitude, so a spontaneous magnetization remains. This can for example occur when the populations consist of different atoms or ions (such as Fe2+ and Fe3+).
Ferrite magnets. Ferrite, a ceramic compound, is one of the most common examples of a ferrimagnetic material.