Magneto-structural properties of Mg-substituted copper ferrite nanoparticles

This study explores the synthesis and characterization of magnesium-substituted copper ferrite (MgxCu1-xFe2O4, 0.0 <= x <= 1.0) nanoparticles using the polymer-assisted sol-gel self-combustion method. The effects of magnesium substitution on the structural, elastic, and magnetic properties of the ferrites were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the formation of single-phase cubic spinel structures with particle sizes ranging from 8-21 nm. A slight increases in the lattice parameter was observed with higher magnesium content, attributed to the substitution of smaller Cu2+ ions with slightly larger Mg2+ ions. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and M & ouml;ssbauer spectroscopy revealed the spinel structure and complex magnetic interactions between ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic phases. The spin canting was observed and found to vary significantly across compositions, with a maximum canting angle of 58.47 degrees. This notable result highlights the important magnetic behavior of these materials. The saturation magnetization (MS) varied across samples, with the x = 0.6 composition exhibiting optimal magnetic performance. Cation distribution analysis using XRD, M & ouml;ssbauer spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements consistently showed the redistribution of cations between the tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites in the spinel structure. This research demonstrates the potential of magnesium-substituted copper ferrites for magnetic applications, with notable improvements in magnetic and structural properties due to cation substitution.