X-ray Diffraction and Magnetic Investigations of Lithium-Zinc Ferrites Synthesized by Electron Beam Heating

Li 0.5(1− x )Zn x Fe 2.5−0.5 x O 4 ferrites ( x = 0.2; 0.4) were produced by thermal and radiation-thermal (RT) synthesis from Li 2 CO 3 -Fe 2 O 3 -ZnO powder mixtures and then studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and saturation magnetization analysis. The RT synthesis was carried out by 2.4 MeV electron beam heating of samples from the first batch at the temperatures of 600°C, 700°C, 750°C and isothermal exposure time of 0 min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min. For comparative analysis, thermal heating of samples from the second batch was performed in a resistance laboratory furnace using the same time and temperature regimes. XRD analysis of samples showed the formation of lithium-zinc ferrites with greater homogeneous phase composition at lower values of temperature and time during RT synthesis compared to the samples obtained by thermal heating. Also, RT-synthesized ferrites are characterized by significantly higher values of saturation magnetization at all time and temperature regimes. It was established that a regime of RT synthesis at 750°C–30 min provides the formation of lithium-zinc ferrites with a high degree of final phase composition.