XMCD-based investigation of magnetic properties in optimized zinc ferrite

Abstract

In the current research, the effect of non-stoichiometry and aluminum incorporation in zinc ferrite is studied using compositional series of ZnxFe3-xO4 and Zn0.95AlxFe2.05-xO4 by the conventional method of solid-state reaction route synthesis. Zinc ferrite is a versatile spinel ferrite material that can be tailored in terms of functional properties by tuning the ion distribution and doping of ions. Here, the excess of iron and non-magnetic aluminum doping effects have been examined for studying their role in ion distribution, charge conduction, magnetic interaction, and electronic behavior. The crystal structure was analyzed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis conducted on BL-11 beamline at the synchrotron facility INDUS-2, RRCAT, Indore. The materials exhibited a pure cubic spinel structure with space group Fd-3m. Lattice parameter variations and diffraction peak shifting suggested incorporation of doped ions in the host spinel lattice.