Structural and magnetic properties of Ni1−xZnxFe2O4 nano-crystalline ferrites prepared via novel chitosan method

•Zn-Substituted nickel ferrites were prepared via novel chitosan method.•Effect of Zn-substitution on structural and magnetic properties was studied.•An appropriate cation distribution was estimated using XRD and VSM techniques.

In the present study, nano-crystalline Ni1−xZnxFe2O4 ferrites (x = 0.0–1.0) were prepared via novel chitosan method. The prepared ferrites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. XRD revealed the formation of spinel single-phase structure for the samples with Zn-content more than 0.4. The crystallite sizes estimated using Scherer formula are in the range 34–45 nm. TEM images reflect the agglomeration characteristics of the prepared ferrites. FT-IR spectra show two prominent characteristic peaks of ferrites. VSM measurement suggests the validity of the entire method for preparation of ferrites with high magnetization. The saturation magnetization was found to increase up to x = 0.4 then gradually decrease while coercivity decreased with increasing Zn-content. These changes in the magnetic properties by the addition of Zn were discussed depending on the estimated cation distribution of the system and the magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the entire ions, respectively.

Graphical abstractThe saturation magnetization increases up to x = 0.4 then gradually decreases while coercivity gradually decreases with increasing Zn-content.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide