Structural and Magnetic Phase Transitions in Cu۱-۳xZn۲xMnxFe۲O۴ Ferrites

Doping spinel ferrites with carefully selected dopants is a common approach to enhance the physical properties of the base ferrite. Zn/Mn co-substituted CuFe۲O۴, represented as Cu۱-۳xZn۲xMnxFe۲O۴, was prepared by the auto-combustion method. The primary goal was to study the effects of varying Zn/Mn levels on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of CuFe۲O۴ spinel ferrites. As the Zn/Mn co-substitution level increased, a notable structural phase change from a tetragonal phase with I۴۱/amd space group to a cubic phase with Fd m space group was observed. This finding was further validated through FTIR spectroscopy analysis. Interestingly, the bandgap energy of the co-substituted ferrites showed a clear dependence on the substitution levels, ranging from ۱.۶۸ eV to ۱.۹۸ eV. This variation in optical properties is a significant result, as it allows researchers to fine-tune the bandgap energy of these materials based on specific application requirements. Furthermore, the saturation magnetization of the co-substituted ferrites exhibited a considerable shift as the Zn/Mn levels increased. A hard-to-soft magnetic phase transition was observed, indicating a substantial change in the materials' magnetic behavior. This discovery highlights the potential to tailor the magnetic properties of CuFe۲O۴ spinel ferrites by carefully controlling the Zn/Mn co-substitution levels. Overall, the findings from this study demonstrate that Zn/Mn co-substitution is an effective technique to modify the properties of CuFe۲O۴ spinel ferrites.

کلیدواژه ها:

Spinel Ferrite ، Zn/Mn Co-Substitutions ، Structure Phase Transition ، Magnetic properties