Structural, magnetic and Mössbauer studies of Nd-doped Mg-Mn ferrite nanoparticles

•In this paper Mg-Nd-Mn nanoferrites have been synthesized for the first time by the self-ignited solution combustion method, and a maiden attempt has been made to investigate the effect of Nd3+ ions on the structural, magnetic & Mössbauer properties of Mg-Nd-Mn nanoferrites.•The cation distribution technique has been used to explore the detailed structural parameters. The cation distribution has been estimated by the X-ray diffraction technique and has been authenticated by using the magnetization method.•The magnetic parameters obtained in the present work are suggesting their utility for electromagnet applications. The present work is focused on the replacement of Fe3+ ions by rare-earth Nd3+ ions and their influence on the cations distribution, structural, magnetic and Mössbauer properties of Mg-Mn nanoferrites. Nanosized Nd-doped Mg-Mn nanoferrites, Mg0.9Mn0.1NdxFe2−xO4, where x=0.1, 0.2 & 0.3, were successfully synthesized for the first time through solution combustion technique. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the formation of single phase nature of the synthesized nanoferrites. Williamsons-Hall plots were used to obtain the particle size and strain while the lattice parameter was obtained from Nelson-Riley plots. The particle size was observed to decrease (19.2–13.5nm) while lattice parameter was observed to increase (8.373–8.391Å) with the incorporation of Nd3+ ions. Cation distribution between the tetrahedral (A-site) and octahedral (B-site) was estimated by using the X-ray diffraction method & magnetization technique. The estimated cation distribution was used to investigate the detailed structural parameters. Room temperature M−H study revealed a decrease of saturation magnetization (10.15–1.83emu/g) and an increase in coercivity (22.86–27.19Oe) with the increasing substitution of Nd3+ ions. Magnetic results obtained in the present study indicated that the synthesized nanoferrites can be a useful candidate for electromagnet applications.