Provided is an ε-iron oxide type ferromagnetic powder with a powder pH within a range of 4.8 to 6.8; and a method for manufacturing the ε-iron oxide type ferromagnetic powder and a composition containing at least the ε-iron oxide type ferromagnetic powder and a solvent.

A method for producing a magnetic powder includes performing a reduction treatment on the surface of particles including a hard magnetic material to form core-shell particles each having a shell portion including a soft magnetic material.

The invention provides a core-shell particle which can provide, by being calcinated, epsilon type iron oxide-based compound particles that have a small coefficient of variation of primary particle diameter and show excellent SNR and running durability when employed in a magnetic recording medium as well as applications thereof. The core-shell particle includes: a core including at least one iron oxide selected from Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 or Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, or iron oxyhydroxide; and a shell that coats the core, the shell including a polycondensate of a metal alkoxide and a metal element other than iron, as well as applications thereof.

The ε-iron oxide powder has an average particle size in a range of 5.0 to 16.0 nm and an uneven distribution of an M atom in a surface layer portion, in which the M atom is one or more kinds of atoms selected from the group consisting of an aluminum atom and an yttrium atom, and a content of the M atom with respect to 100 atom % of iron atoms is in a range of 4.0 to 9.5 atom %.

Provided are: a magnetic recording medium including a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is an ε-iron oxide powder, a vertical magnetization amount Φm per unit area of the magnetic recording medium is 5 G.Math.μm or more and 100 G.Math.μm or less at a measurement temperature of 25° C., and an inclination of Φm obtained from Φm at a measurement temperature of 10° C., Φm at a measurement temperature of 25° C., and Φm at a measurement temperature of 40° C. is −0.20 G.Math.μm/° C. or more and −0.03 G.Math.μm/° C. or less; a magnetic tape cartridge including the magnetic recording medium which is a magnetic tape; and a magnetic recording and reproducing device including the magnetic recording medium.

Provided are: a magnetic recording medium including a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is an ε-iron oxide powder, a vertical squareness ratio SQ of the magnetic recording medium is 0.50 or more and 0.95 or less at a measurement temperature of 25° C., and an inclination of SQ obtained from SQ at a measurement temperature of 10° C., SQ at a measurement temperature of 25° C., and SQ at a measurement temperature of 40° C. is −0.0050° C..sup.−1 or more and −0.0003° C..sup.−1 or less; a magnetic tape cartridge including the magnetic recording medium which is a magnetic tape; and a magnetic recording and reproducing device including the magnetic recording medium.

The present invention provides a recording method and a recording device in which information can be easily recorded even in a magnetic recording medium using epsilon iron oxide particles having a high coercive force as a magnetic recording material. A recording device of the invention applies an external magnetic field H.sub.0 that inclines magnetization of epsilon iron oxide particles to a particle dispersion element containing epsilon iron oxide particles, and irradiates the particle dispersion element with light that excites the magnetization. Accordingly, the recording device is capable of inverting magnetization that is not capable of being inverted only by the external magnetic field, in accordance with a synergetic effect between the inclination of the magnetization and the light excitation of the magnetization.

Magnetic powder includes: an epsilon-phase iron oxide-based compound selected from ε-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 or a compound represented by Formula (1). The magnetic powder has an average particle diameter of 8 nm to 25 nm, a ratio of Hc to Hc′ of from 0.6 to 1.0, and Hc′ satisfying Expression (II). Hc′ represents a magnetic field at which a value of Expression (I) becomes zero in a magnetic field-magnetization curve obtained by performing measurement at a maximum applied magnetic field of 359 kA/m, a temperature of 296 K, and a magnetic field sweeping speed of 1.994 kA/m/s. M represents magnetization and H represents applied magnetic field. Hc represents a magnetic field at which magnetization becomes zero in the magnetic field-magnetization curve. In Formula (1), A represents at least one metal element other than Fe, and a represents a number that satisfies a relationship of 0<a<2.
d.sup.2M/dH.sup.2  Expression (I)
119 kA/m<Hc′<2380 kA/m  Expression (II)
ε-A.sub.aFe.sub.2-aO.sub.3  (1)

Magnetic powder includes: an epsilon-phase iron oxide-based compound selected from ε-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 or a compound represented by Formula (1). The magnetic powder has an average particle diameter of 8 nm to 25 nm, a ratio of Hc to Hc′ of from 0.6 to 1.0, and Hc′ satisfying Expression (II). Hc′ represents a magnetic field at which a value of Expression (I) becomes zeroin a magnetic field-magnetization curve obtained by performing measurement at a maximum applied magnetic field of 359 kA/m, a temperature of 296 K, and a magnetic field sweeping speed of 1.994 kA/m/s. M represents magnetization and H represents applied magnetic field. Hc represents a magnetic field at which magnetization becomes zero in the magnetic field-magnetization curve. In Formula (1), A represents at least one metal element other than Fe, and a represents a number that satisfies a relationship of 0<a<2.

d.sup.2M/dH.sup.2  Expression (I)

119 kA/m<Hc′<2380 kA/m  Expression (II)

ε-A.sub.xFe.sub.2-xO.sub.3  (1)

A method of producing a magnetic powder includes performing heat treatment on first particles that contain ferrous oxide to prepare 5 second particles that contain ε-iron oxide.