Influence of La(3+) Substitution on Structure, Morphology and Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline Ni-Zn Ferrite

Lanthanum substituted Ni-Zn ferrite nanoparticles (Ni(0.5)Zn(0.5)La(x)Fe(1-x)O(4); 0.00 ≤x≤ 1.00) synthesized by sol-gel method were presented. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the typical single phase spinel cubic ferrite structure, with the traces of secondary phase for lanthanum substituted nanocrystals. In addition, the structural analysis also demonstrates that the average crystallite size varied in the range of 21–25 nm. FTIR spectra present the two prominent absorption bands in the range of 400 to 600 cm(-1) which are the fingerprint region of all ferrites. Surface morphology of both substituted and unsubstituted Ni-Zn ferrite nanoparticle samples was studied using FESEM technique and it indicates a significant increase in the size of spherical shaped particles with La(3+) substitution. Magnetic properties of all samples were analyzed using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The results revealed that saturation magnetization (M(s)) and coercivity (H(c)) of La(3+) substituted samples has decreased as compared to the Ni-Zn ferrite samples. Hence, the observed results affirm that the lanthanum ion substitution has greatly influenced the structural, morphology and magnetic properties of Ni-Zn ferrite nanoparticles.