Synthesis, structural and magnetic properties of NiFe2-xLaxO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.10) nanoparticles

Lanthanum substituted nickel ferrites NiFe2-xLaxO4 (0 <= x <= 0.10) powders have been synthesized for the first time by combustion technique using glycine as a fuel. All the ferrites crystallize in Fd3_m space group with cubic symmetry. Very small peaks of both Fe2O3 and LaFeO3 were also detected, the intensity of which increases with increasing La content. No systematic trend in the lattice parameter a with La doping has been noticed. Room temperature magnetization studies, obtained from vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), exhibit a decrease in saturation magnetization with La doping. Cation distribution, obtained from magnetic measurements, shows that La doped nickel ferrites have inverse spinel structure in which Ni2+ ions predominantly occupy octahedral sites.