Study of physical properties of the Li0.5MgFe1.5O3.5 ferrite nanoparticles

Abstract

In the present research study, the structural, optical, magnetic, electrical and dielectrical properties of the spinel ferrite Li_0.5MgFe_1.5O_3.5, synthesized using a sol–gel auto-combustion method were studied. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy revealed that this sample crystallizes in a cubic spinel structure with space group Fdm. Moreover, the optical investigation by UV-visible spectroscopy has revealed that the band gap for our sample is (E_g = 2.87 eV), which shows that our compound is a potential candidate for optoelectronic applications. The values of the remanent magnetization M_r = 0.13 emu g⁻¹, of the coercive field H_C = 4.65 Oe deduced from the hysteresis loop, are very low, suggesting the superparamagnetic behavior of our sample. Additionally, the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is −19% affirmed that Li_0.5MgFe_1.5O_3.5 ferrite is a good candidate for detecting infrared radiation and infrared bolometric applications. Indeed, the activation energies were calculated from the imaginary part of the impedance, the electrical conductivity, and the imaginary part of the modulus, thus demonstrating that the charge carriers involved in the processes of conduction and relaxation are the same.