Structural, dielectric and magnetic properties of NiFe2O4 prepared via sol–gel auto-combustion method

•Mr value increases with the increasing grain size while Hc is just the opposite.•Ms achieve 50 emu/g when the sintering temperature is more than 1000 °C.•The lowest Hc value is 159.49 Oe for the NFO sample sintered at 1300 °C.

Nickelferrite (NiFe2O4)powders were synthesized via sol–gel auto-combustion method and the corresponding temperature dependence of microstructure, dielectric and magnetic properties have been investigated. Results of XRD and SEM indicate that the NiFe2O4 samples exhibit a typical single phase spinel structure and a uniform particle distribution. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss measurements show strong frequency dependence of all the samples. The peak observed in frequency dependence of dielectric loss measurements shifts to higher frequency with the increasing sintering temperature, indicating a Debye-like dielectric relaxation. The remanent magnetization increases with the increasing grain size while the coercivity is just the opposite. The saturation magnetization can achieve 50 emu/g when the sintering temperature is more than 1000 °C, and the lowest coercivity (159.49 Oe) was observed in the NFO sample sintered at 1300 °C for 2 h.