Effect of annealing on properties of Mg doped Zn-ferrite nanoparticles

A comparison of structural and magnetic properties of as-prepared and annealed (900 °C) Mg doped Zn ferrite nanoparticles (Zn1−xMgxFe2O4, with x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) is presented. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the cubic spinel structure for both the as-prepared and annealed nanoparticles. The average crystallite size and lattice parameter were increased by annealing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images also showed that the average particle size increased after annealing. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) also confirmed the spinel structure for both series of nanoparticles. For both annealed and as-prepared nanoparticles, the O-Mtet.-O vibrational band shifts towards higher wave numbers with increased Mg concentration due to cationic rearrangement on the lattice sites. Magnetization studies revealed an anomalous decreasing magnetization for the annealed nanoparticles which is also ascribed to cationic rearrangement on the lattice sites after annealing. The measurement of coercivity showed a decreasing trend by annealing due to the increased nanoparticle size and better crystallinity.