Aluminum Substitution in Ni-Co Based Spinel Ferrite Nanoparticles by Sol–Gel Auto-Combustion Method

In this research work, aluminum substituted Ni-Co ferrite nanoparticles have been produced by a simple and cost-effective method, i.e., sol–gel auto-combustion. Synthesized nanoparticles were annealed in a muffle furnace at 600°C for 3 h before characterization. The x-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the ferrite nanoparticles grew preferentially along the (311) plane and exhibit face centered cubic structure. The crystallite size of nanoparticles (14 to 17 nm) was estimated by Scherrer’s relation. The effect of aluminum substitution on structural parameters of ferrite nanoparticles, such as lattice constant and stacking faults, have been studied. Structural analysis revealed that the lattice constant of the nanoparticles decreases as a function of aluminum content. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the spinal ferrite crystal structure of synthesized aluminum substituted Ni-Co ferrite nanoparticles. The surface morphology observed through scanning electron microscopy depicts the growth and distribution of nanograins with uniform size with in the samples. Dielectric properties investigated through impedance analyzer spectroscopy revealed that aluminum substituted Ni-Co ferrite nanoparticles demonstrated the high conductivity along with potential dielectric properties. These aluminum substituted Ni-Co ferrite nanoparticles would have possible applications in high storage memory and microwave devices.