Partial correlation of optical, electrical and magnetic properties of nanosized Zn–Cr–La ferrite particles synthesized by sonochemical method

Zn0.5Cr0.5LaxFe2-xO4 nanoferrites with varied compositions of x = 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12 were synthesized using an effective sonochemical reactor. The powders resulting from this synthesis were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and their electrical and magnetic properties examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and vibrating sample magne-tometer, respectively. The XRD analysis confirms the creation of cubic crystalline structure with the crystallite size from 38 (x = 0.12) to 57 (x = 0.03) nm. The lattice constant of the ferrite nanoparticles is found to decrease with La content. Using XRD patterns, the development of a cubic crystalline structure was revealed. An increase in the amount of La3+ ions in Zn0.5Cr0.5LaxFe2-xO4 nanoferrites could explain the decrease in crystalline size. In Zn0.5Cr0.5LaxFe2-xO4 nanoferrites, impedance investigation revealed the presence of pseudo-capacitance and resistive behavior. The conductivity of Zn0.5Cr0.5LaxFe2-xO4 nanoferrites was also slightly reduced when La3+ ions were added. The soft ferromagnetic behavior of Zn0.5Cr0.5LaxFe2-xO4 nanoferrites was aided by the hys-teresis loops. An increase in the La content of Zn0.5Cr0.5LaxFe2-xO4 nanoferrites resulted in a decrease in satu-ration magnetization and an increase in coercivity.