Study of microstructure and augmentation of DC electrical resistivity due to Al3+ substitution in Ni–Zn nano ferrite system synthesized via auto combustion

Nanocrystalline Ni–Zn–Al spinel ferrite was synthesized via citrate-gel auto combustion method. The as-prepared powders have been separated into two batches in which one batch of powders were sintered at 1000∘C for 4 h and the other batch were pressed into pellets and were sintered at the same temperature. Sintering of the samples was done in air atmosphere followed by natural cooling to room temperature. The heat treated powders have then been characterized using TG–DTA, XRD, SEM and TEM for thermal, structural and microstructural aspects while the DC electrical resistivity measurements were carried out on the sintered pellets. The X-ray diffraction patterns displayed the formation of the spinel phase for all powders and the lattice parameter was obtained using Bragg’s law. The crystallite size for all compositions were found to be in nano dimensions and obtained from the Williamson–Hall method. TG–DTA analysis of the undoped Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 indicated the formation of the spinel phase is around 400∘C while almost uniform microstructure with a more or less spherical grains has been noticed in the SEM micrograph. An enhancement in the DC electrical resistivity ( ≥ 108Ω-cm) has been observed in Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 synthesized using this technique in comparison with that processed through conventional ceramic technique and a modification in the resistivity has been observed on substituting Al3+ in place of Fe3+. High electrical resistivity makes these ferrites suitable for high-frequency applications due to possible reduction of the eddy current losses. The observed variation in resistivity has been discussed on amendments in structure, microstructure and unavailability of Fe3+ ions with increasing Al3+ ions in the light of existing understanding. The decrease in resistivity with increasing temperature confirms the semiconducting behavior of all samples. Activation energies for conduction were obtained from the slope of the log ρ versus 1/T plots and observed to be in the range of 0.6–0.45 eV. The variation in the activation energy for conduction followed a similar trend as the DC resistivity. The drift mobility decreases with increasing Al3+ ions concentration and increases with increasing temperature.