Magnetic Attributes of NiFe2O4 Nanoparticles: Influence of Dysprosium Ions (Dy3+) Substitution

Abstract

This paper reports the influence of dysprosium ion (Dy³⁺) substitution on the structural and magnetic properties of NiDy<i>_x</i>Fe_2-<i>x</i>O₄ (0.0 ≤ <i>x</i> ≤ 0.1) nanoparticles (NPs) prepared using a hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized NPs were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscope (SEM, and TEM) analyses. ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra were recorded to determine the Dy³⁺ content dependent variation in the line width, isomer shift, quadrupole splitting, and hyperfine magnetic fields. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of the prepared NPs were also investigated by zero-field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetizations and AC susceptibility measurements. The M_ZFC (T) results showed a blocking temperature (<i>T</i>_B). Below <i>T</i>_B, the products behave as ferromagnetic (FM) and act superparamagnetic (SPM) above <i>T</i>_B. The M_FC (<i>T</i>) curves indicated the existence of super-spin glass (SSG) behavior below <i>T</i>_s (spin-glass freezing temperature). The AC susceptibility measurements confirmed the existence of the two transition temperatures (i.e., <i>T</i>_B and <i>T</i>_s). Numerous models, e.g., Neel-Arrhenius (N-A), Vogel-Fulcher (V-F), and critical slowing down (CSD), were used to investigate the dynamics of the systems. It was found that the Dy substitution enhanced the magnetic interactions.