Elaboration, Characterization, and Magnetic Properties of Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ Nanoparticles of High Purity Using Molten Salts Technique

Abstract

Ferrite nanoparticles of basic composition Ni 0.5 Zn 0.5 Fe 2 O 4 are synthesized for the first time through molten salt method using Fe 1.61 O 3 , Ni 0.47 (OH) 2 , and Zn 0.98 O as non‐standard Moroccan raw materials. The effect of various parameters such as annealing temperature and time on crystalline structure of Ni–Zn ferrite has been investigated. The TGA analysis shows the thermal behavior of the reagents mixture. The X‐ray diffraction pattern confirmed the single phase, high crystalline and cubic structure with Fd3m space group, and average crystallite size of 29 nm. The Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT‐IR) shows two fundamental absorption bands ( v 1 and v 2 ) that are attributed to the stretching vibration of tetrahedral and octahedral sites, observed in spinel structure, in the wave number range of 400–600 cm −1 . Particle size are evaluated by using transmission electron microscopy and proved that they have a cubical shape. EDS result confirms the purity of the Ni–Zn nanoferrite powder. Magnetic measurements reveal a weak ferrimagnetic behavior at low temperature and superparamagnetism at high temperature.