Effect of Mg doping on physical properties of Zn ferrite nanoparticles

Effect of Mg doping on ZnFe2O4 samples was prepared by a sol-gel auto-combustion method. The obtained samples were sintered at different temperatures. Then, the sintered samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and electrical properties. XRD results confirm the formation of cubic spinel-type structure with an average crystallite size decreased with Mg concentration from 37 to 17 nm. Lattice parameter decreases with increasing Mg concentration, due to the small ionic radius of the Mg2+ ion. The SEM images show the morphology of the samples as spherical shaped particles in agglomeration. The magnetization showed an increasing trend with increasing Mg concentration due to the rearrangement of cations at tetrahedral and octahedral sites. The ionic conductivity is increased with the increase of Mg concentration.