Temperature dependent neutron diffraction and Mössbauer studies in zinc ferrite nanoparticles

The micro-level magnetic alignments of zinc ferrite nanoparticles synthesized by sol–gel method were investigated using magnetization study, neutron diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Magnetization behavior of the sample clearly indicates the presence of superparamagnetism. The neutron diffraction was performed at seven different temperatures between 6 K and 300 K. The cation distribution is found to have a variation from the from normal spinel structure. Both A and B site magnetic moment values found to vary with temperature which is found to correlates with variations in bond lengths and lattice constants. The Mössbauer spectrum at room temperature shows typical doublet while the spectrum 5 K shows well defined sextet. The two sub-spectra in the sextet resolves well by the application of 5 T magnetic field and the noncollinear nature of magnetic alignment with in the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of zinc ferrite are deduced.

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► Micro-level magnetic alignments of zinc ferrite nanoparticles.
► Magnetization behavior clearly indicates the presence of superparamagnetism.
► Cation distribution shows a change from normal spinel structure.
► Structural parameters found vary with temperature which affects magnetic moments.
► Coexisting ferri and antiferromagnetic spins influence overall magnetic structure.