Structural, optical, dielectric and magnetic properties of Nd3+ion substituted Ni-Mg-Cu spinel ferrites

The cubic spinel ferrites with Ni0.3Mg0.5Cu0.2NdxFe2-xO4 (where x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1) were successfully produced with the help of citric acid assisted auto-combustion technique. X-ray diffraction analysis verified that cubic spinel ferrites develop and revealed decreasing crystallite, and the obtained range was 38 to 21 nm. FTIR reveals the formation of two metallic bands which is very much supportive of results for confirming the cubic spinel ferrites. The morphology of prepared ferrites was analyzed using FE-SEM and observed spherical -like structures with pores and agglomeration. UV-vis study gives a violet shift and exposes that the evaluated direct band gap energy values lie between 2.59 and 2.44 eV. Dielectric constant, dielectric loss and impedance studies provide valuable information regarding their conduction mechanism. Both the dielectric constant and the loss tangent dropped drastically as frequency increased. The higher dielectric loss was found in the pure sample, and the lowest dielectric loss was found in Nd3+ ion substituted samples. Cole-cole plots verify the grain boundary contribution. The semi-circle of complex impedance refers to the resistance of grain boundary that was predominate over grains. The Ac conductivity rises with rising (Nd3+) concentration and falls with falling (Fe3+) ion concentration for all samples The vibrating sample magnetometer of all prepared ferrite samples confirms the soft ferromagnetic nature and weakening super exchange interactions. Magnetic variables coercivity (HC), saturation magnetization (MS), and remanence (Mr) of prepared spinel ferrites were decreased with increasing Nd3+ ion substitution. The prepared ferrite material could be used in electronic and electronic applications.

Automated summary

The cubic spinel ferrites Ni0.3Mg0.5Cu0.2NdxFe2-xO4 (where x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1) were synthesized using citric acid assisted auto-combustion technique. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of cubic spinel ferrites with decreasing crystallite size. FTIR and FE-SEM analysis supported the results. UV-vis study showed a violet shift and determined direct band gap energy values between 2.59 and 2.44 eV. Dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and impedance studies provided insights into conduction mechanism. The magnetic properties of the prepared samples showed soft ferromagnetic behavior with weakened super exchange interactions upon Nd3+ ion substitution. The materials have potential applications in electronics and electronic devices.