Structural and magnetic properties of MgFe2O4 thin films

The spinel-type ferrites are important due to their technological and industrial applications. Among magnetic ferrites with formula XFe2O4 (where X=Co, Ni etc.), magnesium ferrite with unique magnetic properties has a significant advantage. This ferrite is a soft magnetic, n-type semiconductor and has many applications in catalysis, brown pigments, high-density recording, gas sensors, transformers, magnet core and ferrofluids. In this work MgFe2O4 thin films are prepared using Sol-Gel method. The Mg/Fe ratio is varied as 0.45, 0.55 and 0.6. The presence of (220), (400), (331) and (533) peaks confirm the formation of MgFe2O4 at low synthesis temperature of 300 degrees C. It can be seen that variation in Mg/Fe ratio strongly affects the magnetic properties of magnesium iron oxide thin films. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.