Tailoring the super-paramagnetic nature of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles by In3+ incorporation

MgFe1-xInxO4 nanoparticles (where x = 0.00, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12 and 0.16) have been prepared by sol-gel method using citric acid. The appearance of two distinct bands corresponding to tetrahedral and octahedral occupied M-O bonds has been demonstrated in Fourier Transform Infra Red spectra (FT-IR). X-ray powder pattern confirmed the presence of a cubic spinel phase. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) has been employed to confirm the valence states of the metal ions present. Mossbauer spectroscopy shows the sextet for pristine sample and on In3+ doping the super-paramagnetic doublet becomes prominent. AC susceptibility profiles shows transition from single domain structure to super-paramagnetic particles on doping. The magnetic properties have been studied using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), here the M-H and M-T curves showed the formation of super-paramagnetic nanoparticles at room temperature, where the saturation magnetisation (M-s), remnant magnetisation (M-r) and coercivity (H-c) values decreased with In3+ incorporation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.