Single Phase Formation,Cation Distribution,and Magnetic Characterization of Coprecipitated Nickel-Zinc Ferrites

X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry were used to investigate the structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of Ni_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ nanosubmicron powders (x = 0–0.8). The samples were prepared by a coprecipitation method at temperatures between 600 and 1100 degree Celsius for five hours. The lattice constant, average size of coherent scattering regions, and cation distribution were analyzed by Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction measurements. Scanning electron micrographs showed that the particle size increased from the nano- to the submicron scale as the zinc content increased from x = 0 to x = 0.8. The magnetization as functions of temperature and applied magnetic field were measured on the single-phase samples obtained at an annealing temperature of 1100 degrees Celsius. The derived saturation magnetization and Curie temperature were compared to those of the bulk counterparts reported previously and discussed based on finite-size effects and possible nonmagnetic impurities. The influence of zinc substitution on the magnetic exchange interactions were studied based on molecular-field theory for compositions of 0 ≤x ≤ 0.4.