Influence of copper substitution on magnetic and electrical properties of MgCuZn ferrite prepared by microwave sintering method

Polycrystalline MgCuZn ferrites with chemical formula Mg_0.50-xCu_xZn_0.50Fe₂O₄ (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30) were prepared by microwave sintering method. These powders were calcined, compacted and sintered at 950 °C for 30 min. Structural, microstructural and elemental analyses were carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), respectively. The lattice parameter is found to increase with increasing copper content. A remarkable densification is observed with the addition of Cu ions in the ferrites. The sintered ferrite was characterized for initial permeability, dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent and ac conductivity measurements. The temperature variation of the initial permeability of these samples was carried out from 30 °C to 200 °C. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss tangent and ac conductivity have been measured in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 1 MHz. Initial permeability and dielectric constant were found to increase and dielectric loss decreased with Cu substitution for Mg, up to x = 0.20. The ferrite powder prepared is suitable for the application in multilayer chip inductor due to its low-temperature sinterability, good magnetic properties and low loss at high frequency.