Structural, Magnetic-Electrical Behavior of Zr substituted Ni-Zn Spinel Ferrite

Zirconium (Zr⁴⁺) doped nickel-zininc ferrite nanoparticles with chemical composition of Zr_xZn_0.5-xNi_0.5-xFe₂O₄ (0.1≤x≤0.30) have been synthesized successfully by sol-gel auto combustion method using urea as a fueling agent. XRD study confirms the siingle phase formation of composite ferrite which b belongs to cubic spinel structure and the lattice parameter foound to be a= 8.417, 8.44 and 8.452Å for the respective values of x = 0.10, x = 0.20, x = 0.30. TEM study reveals the morphology of Ni-Zn ferrite nanoparticles are well spread over wide area. The saturation magnetization gradually decreases with the increase in Zr substitution and reaches minimum when x=0.30 whereas the coercivity value reaches minimum when x=0.10. DC electrical resistivity has been found to vary with increasing Zr ccontent. The good electrical resistivity of ceramic material more than 125 MΩcm was used for high frequency transformer applications.