Effect of zinc substitution on the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of nano-structured Ni0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 ferrites

A series of Ni0.5Co0.5-xZnxFe2O4 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.06) nanoferrites were synthesized by sol-gel method using citric acid as chelating reagent. The synthesized ferrite systems are characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, ESR and dielectric techniques. The formation of cubic spinel phase belonging to space group Fd3m is identified from the X-ray diffraction patterns. SEM showed the particles are in spherical shape with an average grain size 5-10 nm. FTIR spectra portrait the fundamental absorption bands in the range 400-600 cm−1 relating to octahedral and tetrahedral sites. Dielectric properties are investigated over the frequency range of 20 Hz to 1 MHz at room temperature. A difference in dielectric constant (εr) and dissipation factor (tanδ) of the ferrites has been observed. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent decreases exponentially with increase in frequency. The obtained results are good agreeing with the reported values.