Structural, magnetic and Mössbauer studies of Nd-doped Mg-Mn ferrite nanoparticles

Abstract The present work is focused on the replacement of Fe 3+ ions by rare-earth Nd 3+ ions and their influence on the cations distribution, structural, magnetic and Mossbauer properties of Mg-Mn nanoferrites. Nanosized Nd-doped Mg-Mn nanoferrites, Mg 0.9 Mn 0.1 Nd x Fe 2−x O 4 , where x = 0.1, 0.2 & 0.3, were successfully synthesized for the first time through solution combustion technique. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the formation of single phase nature of the synthesized nanoferrites. Williamsons-Hall plots were used to obtain the particle size and strain while the lattice parameter was obtained from Nelson-Riley plots. The particle size was observed to decrease (19.2–13.5 nm) while lattice parameter was observed to increase (8.373–8.391 A) with the incorporation of Nd 3+ ions. Cation distribution between the tetrahedral (A-site) and octahedral (B-site) was estimated by using the X-ray diffraction method & magnetization technique. The estimated cation distribution was used to investigate the detailed structural parameters. Room temperature M−H study revealed a decrease of saturation magnetization (10.15–1.83 emu/g) and an increase in coercivity (22.86–27.19 Oe) with the increasing substitution of Nd 3+ ions. Magnetic results obtained in the present study indicated that the synthesized nanoferrites can be a useful candidate for electromagnet applications.