Comparison of the effect of nickel and cobalt cations addition on the structural and magnetic properties of manganese-zinc ferrite nanoparticles

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nickel and cobalt cations on magnetic properties of manganese-zinc ferrite (MZF) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were produced through sol-gel combustion process with citric acid as the fuel. Then the obtained nanoparticles were calcinated for 30 min at 500 °C. In order to characterize the compounds, four methods were employed, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Spinel formation was confirmed by XRD and it was shown that the crystallite size in all samples was less than 12 nm (nm). In addition, FESEM images revealed that the nanoparticle size was less than 70 nm after calcination. Saturation magnetization (MS) and coercivity (HC) of the MZF nanoparticles are increased by adding Ni and Co cations.