Structural, optical, electrical, dielectric, molecular vibrational and magnetic properties of La3+ doped Mg-Cd-Cu ferrites prepared by Co-precipitation technique

Ferrites are among the most frequently investigated materials mainly due to interesting and practically different properties. Therefore, easily and cost-effective lanthanum doped Mg0.5Cd0.25Cu0.25Fe2-xLaxO4 (x = 0.0, 0.0125, 0.025, 0.0375 and 0.05) ferrites were synthesized by a co-precipitation route, a comprehensive characterisation of their structural, optical, electric, dielectric, molecular vibrational, and magnetic properties were carried out. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of a cubic spinel structure. Variations in frequency bands were also observed with amplification in optical band gap energy (2.95 - 3.38 eV) due to La3+ ions insertion. The electric resistivity had opposite trends at low and high temperatures with increasing La3+ content. The Curie temperature, activation energy, and drift mobility were also determined to have values consistent with the semiconducting behavior of the soft ferrites. The saturation magnetization (MS) has a maximum value 49.385 emu/g with remanent magnetization (Mr) was 34.928 emu/g and coercivity 661.4 Oe for La3+ concentration x = 0.05. The minimum dielectric loss was observed for La3+ concentration x = 0.025. Moreover, the resistivity (rho) has a maximum value of 7.95 x 10(4) omega & nbsp;cm for La3+& nbsp;concentration x = 0.025. The calculated frequency range of La3+& nbsp;doped Mg-Cd-Cu ferrites was detected in the microwave range (3.36 - 10.80 GHz), suggesting the potential application of the materials in longitudinal recording media and microwave absorbance.

Automated summary

Lanthanum doped Mg-Cd-Cu ferrites with ease and cost-effectiveness have been synthesized and comprehensively characterized. The study revealed interesting and practically different properties in their structural, optical, electric, dielectric, molecular vibrational, and magnetic aspects, suggesting their potential application in longitudinal recording media and microwave absorbance.