Testing of magnetic and dielectric traits of microwave plasma treated NiCuZn spinel ferrites for efficient energy storage and high-frequency applications

•A series of Ni0.25Cu0.25Zn0.50 ferrites was produced using sol-gel auto combustion.•Ni0.25Cu0.25Zn0.50 ferrites were subjected to non-thermal microwave plasma.•Surface porosity increased and particle size decreased on plasma exposure.•Saturation magnetization increased by 65% after plasma exposure.•Plasma exposed ferrites responded well to electromagnetic waves than control. In this study, the dielectric, microstructural, and magnetic characteristics of NiCuZnFe2O4 ferrites, produced by an auto-ignition method, were tuned through microwave non-thermal plasma treatment. XRD analysis confirmed the cubic spinel structure with an average crystallite size of 47.7 nm. It was also witnessed that plasma treatment slightly increased the porosity of prepared samples. FTIR analysis confirmed the appearance of absorption bands in the range of 450–700 cm−1, which are assigned to spinel ferrites. The pristine spinel ferrite microstructures demonstrated sharp grain boundaries and agglomeration appeared in all specimens due to magnetic interactions. A slight decline in particle size in the plasma-treated sample was noticed in these investigations. VSM analysis revealed saturation magnetization of 31.70 emu/g and 53.20 emu/g for pristine ferrite and after 45 min of plasma treatment, respectively. Dielectric measurements demonstrated that plasma exposure significantly reduced the dielectric loss and improved the dielectric constant.