Structural, morphological, magnetic, dielectric, and electrical properties of Cr doped Ni–Zn ferrites prepared by combustion route for microwave absorption and electromagnetic interference shielding applications
摘要
Polycrystalline Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe₂₋ₓCrxO₄ (x = 0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) spinel nanoferrites were synthesized employing a microwave-assisted sol–gel auto-combustion technique, enabling precise control over nanoparticle formation. Comprehensive characterization of the Cr3⁺-substituted Ni-Zn ferrites was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and an LCR meter to evaluate structural, magnetic, dielectric, and electrical modulus properties. Microstructural analysis revealed an increase in crystallite size (30 nm to 38 nm), lattice parameter (8.2873 Å to 8.3223 Å), strain (2.9 × 10⁻3 to 3.19 × 10⁻3), and dislocation density (1.06 × 10⁻4 to 8.9587 × 10⁻4 nm⁻2) with rising Cr3⁺ content, indicating enhanced structural modifications. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of Fe–O vibrational modes characteristic of spinel ferrites, with absorption bands observed in the 400–700 cm⁻1 range, corroborating the material’s optical integrity. Magnetic hysteresis (M-H) loops from VSM demonstrated a progressive increase in coercivity (183.86–219.60 Oe), remanence (3.73–5.04 emu/g), and saturation magnetization (28.81–59.08 emu/g), with the Mr/Ms ratio (0.07–0.12) suggesting a transition from single-domain to pseudo-single-domain behaviour. Furthermore, the dielectric constant exhibited a significant escalation from 25,800 to 576,000 at 1 kHz with Cr3⁺ doping, highly promising for low-frequency EMI shielding, with potential microwave absorption pending GHz-range evaluation.