Investigation of structural and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline manganese substituted lithium ferrites

Nanocrystalline manganese substituted lithium ferrites Li0.5Fe2.5−xMnxO4 (2.5≤x≥0) were prepared by sol–gel auto-combustion method. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that as the concentration of manganese increased, the cubic phase changed to tetragonal. Magnetic properties were measured by hysteresis loop tracer technique. All the compositions indicated ferrimagnetic nature. The surface morphology of all the samples was studied by using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The substitution of manganese ions in the lattice affected the structural as well as magnetic properties of spinels.

Graphical abstractThe synthesized nanoparticles shapes, sizes and size dispersibilities were obtained from the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM micrographs of synthesized samples revealed that, spherical shape with average particle size 50 nm. Selected area electron diffraction pattern (SAED) suggests the polycrystallinity and also the formation of spinel ferrites.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide