The dilution of silica in a NiZnCo spinel ferrite matrix

Silica may dissolve up to about 0.05 wt% in an iron excess NiZnCo spinel matrix, affecting noticeably the magnetic properties at low and high values of the applied field. The initial permeability is reduced by about 50% with the addition of only 0.1 % SiO₂, while the coercivity almost triples, without noticeable changes in porosity or grain distribution. The vacancy and Fe²⁺ content of the sintered material also show a considerable change. The energy associated to the transformation Fe³⁺ Fe²⁺ for the samples without SiO₂ was found to be 0.41–0.42 eV, while for the samples with SiO₂ additions it decreased to 0.26 eV. The changes in magnetic properties are thought to be caused, more than because of the mentioned changes in ion distribution, by the stresses and defects created in the lattice due to the very small size of the Si⁴⁺ ion, which substitutes Fe³⁺ ions in tetrahedral sites. The transition Fe³⁺ Fe²⁺ seems to take place exclusively in the octahedral sites.