Tuning of ferrimagnetic nature and hyperfine interaction of Ni2+ doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles for power transformer applications

Ferrites may contain single domain particles which gets converted into super-paramagnetic state near critical size. To explore the existence of these characteristic feature of ferrites, we have performed magnetization(M-H loop) and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of Ni²⁺ substitution effect in Co_1-xNi_xFe₂O₄ (where x?=?0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) nanoparticles were fabricated by solution combustion route using mixture of carbamide and glucose as fuels for the first time. As prepared samples exhibit spinel cubic structure with lattice parameters which decreases linearly with increase in Ni²⁺ concentration. The M-H loops reveals that saturation magnetization(M_s), coercive field(H_c) remanence magnetization(M_r) and magnetron number(η_B) decreases significantly with increasing Ni²⁺ substitution. The variation of saturation magnetization has been explained on the basis of Neel's molecular field theory. The coercive field(H_c) is found strongly dependent on the concentration of Ni²⁺ and decrease of coercivity suggests that the particles have single domain and exhibits superparamagnetic behavior. The Mössbauer spectroscopy shows two ferrimagnetically relaxed Zeeman sextets distribution at room temperature. The dependence of Mössbauer parameters such as isomer shift, quadru pole splitting, line width and hyperfine magnetic field on Ni²⁺ concentration have been discussed. Hence our results suggest that synthesized materials are potential candidate for power transformer application.     

Effect of Zn substitution on the structural and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline NiFe2O4 ferrites

Nanocrystalline Ni_1?xZn_xFe₂O₄ (where, x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 & 1) samples were synthesized through solution combustion technique using oxylyl de-hydrazide (ODH) as a fuel and the effect of dopant and its concentration on the structural and magnetic properties was investigated. As-prepared samples were characterized using different characterization techniques such as, XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM and Raman spectroscopy for their phase-purity, crystallinity, surface morphology and elemental composition; also magnetic properties were investigated through EPR, Mossbauer spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Rietveld fitted XRD and Raman studies confirm the formation of cubic spinel structured ferrites and substitution of Zn ion at Ni site without formation of impurity phases. No other structural changes were observed and the structure remains in cubic phase with increase of Zn concentration. SEM and TEM micrographs reveal that the particles are agglomerated and the particles size were found in the nano range. Also good stoichiometric composition was observed in all the compositions of Zn substituted Ni ferrite samples. Magnetic measurements (VSM) reveal that pure Ni ferrites exhibits soft magnetic behaviour. Further the ferromagnetic behaviour suppressed with the substitution of diamagnetic Zn ion and with increase of its concentration in Ni ferrites, which was further evidenced in the Mossbauer spectroscopic results. At room temperature, electronic paramagnetic resonance spectra exhibits a broad resonance signal with Lande's g factor varies from 2.23 to 1.95 with increase in Zn content, which is attributed to spin exchange interactions between Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions also asymmetric EPR spectra was observed. The investigated results show that, Zn substitution has greater impact on the magnetic properties of Ni ferrites due to the diamagnetic nature of Zn, which inturn alters the cationic distribution and the exchange interactions between Ni-Fe and Fe-Fe.