Applied Science Letters

A series of nickel doped zinc ferrite NixZn1-xFe2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) nanoparticles were prepared using sol-gel method. The influence of Ni 2+ ions substitution on the structural and magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 spinel ferrites were subsequently studied. The XRD patterns of as synthesized samples confirm the single crystalline phase formation without any trace of impurity. The lattice parameter decreases linearly from 8.368 A to 8.264 A, whereas crystallite size increases with the increase in Ni 2+ ion concentration. HRTEM images also confirm the nano size particle formation. From the HRTEM images this has been observed that the particle size lies in the range 15-45 nm. The saturation magnetization increases from 26.70 emu/gm for x = 0.0 to 45.85 emu/gm for x = 0.4 with the increase in nickel content. The increase in saturation magnetisation is also supported by spin concentration values as calculated from EPR study.