Structural, electrical, and optomagnetic tweaking of Zn doped CoFe2−xZnxO4−δ nanoparticles

•Zn doped CoFe2O4 (CFO) were synthesized through microwave gel combustion.•Magnetization increases with the increase in doping concentration.•Optical band gap decreases with the doping concentration.

Nanoparticles of pure and Zn doped CoFe2O4 of the composition CoFe2−xZnxO4−δ (x  =0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) have been successfully synthesized by microwave gel combustion. The microstructural and compositional analyses were carried out by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy. The crystallite size was found to increase with the increase in the Zn content. The dielectric constant (εε) and A.C. conductivity were studied as a function of frequency and temperature and were explained on the basis of Maxwell–Wagner model and electron hopping respectively. The energy band gap was found to decrease gradually with Zn doping. The magnetic measurements, depicts an increase in magnetization with the increase in Zn concentration, which in turn shows a strong dependency on the particle size. The magnetic hysteresis loop confirms the ferromagnetic nature.

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