Structure and magnetic properties of Ni0.11ZnxCo0.03Fe2.86-xO4 ferrite films deposited on Ag-coated glass substrates by wet chemical method

Ni0.11ZnxCo0.03Fe2.86-xO4 spinel ferrite films with x = 0.00, 0.23, 0.34, 0.43 and 0.51 were prepared on Ag-coated glass substrates from nitrate and dimethylamine borane solution at 80 °C. The Ni0.11ZnxCo0.03Fe2.86-xO4 ferrite films are singe-phased spinel ferrite. With the Zn content x increasing from 0 to 0.51, the lattice constant of the ferrite films increases from 0.8383 to 0.8425 nm. The Ni0.11Zn0.51Co0.03Fe2.35O4 film is about 500 nm thick and composed of uniform equiaxed granules of about 40–50 nm. The Raman spectrum analysis indicates that the Zn2+ ions occupy the A sites. Saturation magnetization increases with x increasing from 0 to 0.35, reaches a maximum value of 460 kA/m at x = 0.35, and then decreases with further increase of x. Coercivity decreases monotonically from 12.3 to 1.7 kA/m with x increasing from 0 to 0.51. The change in magnetic properties may be explained by the decrease of A–B interactions and the anisotropy constant due to the incorporation of non-magnetic Zn2+ ions.