Magnetic and dielectric interactions in nano zinc ferrite powder: Prepared by self-sustainable propellant chemistry technique

•Nano zinc ferrite compound has been prepared at much lower temperature.•Magnetic and dielectric interactions were reported at various temperatures.•Anisotropy and spin relaxation time were interrelated by magnetic and dielectrics.

The structural, magnetic and dielectric properties of nano zinc ferrite prepared by the propellant chemistry technique are studied. The PXRD measurement at room temperature reveal that the compound is in cubic spinel phase, belong to the space group Fd−3m. The unit cell parameters have been estimated from Rietveld refinement. The calculated force constants from FTIR spectrum corresponding to octahedral and tetrahedral sites at 375 and 542 cm−1 are 6.61×102 and 3.77×102 N m−1 respectively; these values are slightly higher compared to the other ferrite systems. Magnetic hysteresis and EPR spectra show superparamagnetic property nearly to room temperature due to comparison values between magnetic anisotropy energy and the thermal energy. The calculated values of saturation magnetization, remenant magnetization, coercive field and magnetic moment supports for the existence of multi domain particles in the sample. The temperature dependent magnetic field shows the spin freezing state at 30 K and the blocking temperature at above room temperature. The frequency dependent dielectric interactions show the variation of dielectric constant, dielectric loss and impedance as similar to other ferrite systems. The AC conductivity in the prepared sample is due to the presence of electrons, holes and polarons. The synthesized material is suitable for nano-electronics and biomedical applications.