Electrical properties of Li–Mn ferrites

In the present study, LiFe5 − xMnxO8 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.9) ferrites were prepared by sol–gel method. The compositional dependence of DC electrical resistivity (ρDC) of Mn-substituted lithium ferrites shows an increase in the resistivity up to x = 0.4 and beyond x = 0.4 the resistivity decreases with further addition of Mn substitution. The plots of temperature dependence of DC conductivity show the semiconducting nature of samples. Dielectric constant (ɛ1) of Li–Mn ferrites has been measured in the frequency range 100 Hz–5 MHz at room temperature. The variation of ρDC and ɛ1 with composition shows inverse image with each other. The possible mechanism for the influence of Mn on the electrical properties of lithium ferrites was discussed.