Neutron diffraction study of the crystal and magnetic structures of nanostructured Zn0.34Fe2.53O4 ferrite
Abstract
The structure and magnetic arrangement of zinc-doped ferrite Zn0.34Fe2.53O4 in the form of spherical nanoparticles with the mean size of 14 nm, synthesized by thermal decomposition method, have been studied by means of the neutron diffraction method in wide temperature range 10-300 K. The investigation provides detailed data on lattice parameters, interatomic bond lengths and angles, and ferrimagnetically ordered moments of iron ions in A and B crystallographic sites of the spinel structure. With a help of supplementary result of Mössbauer spectroscopy, the distribution of Zn and Fe ions between A and B sites is determined to (Fe3+0.82Zn2+0.18)A[Fe3+1.44Fe2+0.27Zn2+0.16☐0.13]BO4, where the B-site vacancy ☐0.13 quantifies the cation non-stoichiometry due to partial oxidation of the ferrite. Within a collinear model of ionic spins, this distribution agrees well with the spontaneous magnetization determined by magnetometry at 5 K of 103.6 A.m2/kg (103.6 emu/g in CGSM), equivalent to 4.22 μB per f.u.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Nanoparticle Research
- Pub Date:
- May 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s11051-020-04852-4
- Bibcode:
- 2020JNR....22..121B
- Keywords:
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- Neutron diffraction;
- Magnetometry;
- Ferrite nanoparticles;
- Thermal decomposition