Cation distribution in Ni–Cu–Zn nanoferrites from ⁵⁷Fe in-field Mössbauer spectra

Highlights: • Occupancy of copper ions at about 20% towards tetrahedral sites. • Distribution is proposed on the basis of % of Fe ions at both A and B sites. • Distribution is checked by estimating the theoretical lattice constant values. - Abstract: The nanoparticles of Ni_1−xCu_xZn_0.35Fe₂O₄ were synthesized by sol–gel method using polyvinyl alcohol as a chelating agent. X-ray diffraction patterns of all the samples confirmed the single phase spinel structure. The site occupancy of copper in the nanosized nickel–zinc ferrite spinels was investigated with the help of in-field Mössbauer spectroscopy. Cation distribution for the whole series of compositions was proposed by considering the amounts of iron ions present at both tetrahedral and octahedral interstitial sites in the spinel lattice. Confirmation of the proposed distributions was done by estimating quantitatively the lattice parameters for these compositions and comparing their values with those of the experimentally observed ones