Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline zinc substituted nickel ferrites

Nanocrystalline zinc substituted nickel ferrites, Ni1-xZnxFe2O4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) have been prepared by citrate gel auto-combustion method. The effect of zinc ion content on structural, electrical transport and magnetic properties has been studied. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed that, all the compositions possess single-phase spinel structure. The nano-sized grain structure formation was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The dc electrical resistivity shows the samples are semiconducting in nature. The magnetic measurements showed that the composition Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4 has maximum saturation magnetization (Ms) while high coersivity (Hc) for ZnFe2O4. Thermoelectric power measurement study showed that the compounds, with x ≤ 0.4 are p-type and for x > 0.4 behaves n-type conduction mechanism.