Magnetic and structural properties of NiFe2O4 ferrite nanopowder doped with Zn2+

This work involved an investigation to ascertain how the substitution of nickel ions for zinc ions affects the structural, morphological and magnetic properties of NiFe2O4 ferrite samples. Ni1-xZnxFe2O4 (x=0.0, 0.3 0.5, 0.7) powders were prepared by combustion reaction and characterized structurally by X-ray diffraction. The specific surface area of the powders was determined by the nitrogen adsorption method (BET). Magnetization measurements were taken using an alternative gradient magnetometer (AGM), which revealed that the powders prepared by combustion reaction resulted in nanosized particles with a particle size of 18-27 nm. The crystallite size and lattice parameter increased as the concentration of Zn increased. Moreover, augmenting the Zn content in the NiFe2O4 ferrite increased the saturation magnetization and coercive field