Influence of rare earth ion doping (Ce and Dy) on electrical and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrites

Ce and Dy substituted Cobalt ferrites with the chemical composition CoCexDyxFe2-2xO4 (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05) were synthesized through the chemical route, citrate-gel auto-combustion method. The structural characterization was carried out with the help of XRD Rieveld analysis, SEM and EDAX analysis. Formation of spinel cubic structure of the ferrites was confirmed by XRD analysis. SEM and EDAX results show that the particles are homogeneous with slight agglomeration without any impurity pickup. The effect of RE ion doping (Ce and Dy) on the dielectric, magnetic and impedance studies was systematically investigated by LCR meter, Vibrating Sample Magnetometer and Impedance analyzer respectively at room temperature in the frequency range of 10 Hz-10 MHz. Various dielectric parameters viz., dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity were measured. The dielectric constant of all the ferrite compositions shows normal dielectric dispersion of ferrites with frequency. Impedance analysis confirms that the conduction in present ferrites is majorly due to the grain boundary mechanism. Ferrite sample with x = 0.03 show high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss and hence can be utilized in high frequency electromagnetic devices. Magnetization measurements indicate that with increase in Ce and Dy content in cobalt ferrites, the magnetization values decreased and coercivity has increased.