Li doping induced physico-chemical modulations in Cd ferrite (CdLixFe(2-x)O(4-x) synthesized using aqueous ammonia assisted co-precipitation route

Ammonium hydroxide as a co-precipitating agent has been used in nanofabrication of pure and Li doped Cd ferrites (CdLixFe(2-x)O(4-x);x = 0.0-0.5) using wet chemical route. Various spectroscopic investigations viz. simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (FT-IR), elemental analysis (ICAP), electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), magnetic measurements (VSM) and Mössbauer technique have been employed to ascertain the modulations in structural, magnetic and other microstructural parameters of as-obtained ferrite, thus, establish the formation of single phasic, nanocrystalline, magnetically ordered alloys with novel physico-chemical properties. An increase in Li+ concentration from x = 0.0 to 0.3 inculcates a reduction in the particle size thereby improving electro-magnetic parameters of the doped ferrites. Overall, concentration of the dopant along with the chemical method employed for the synthesis control the size of as-obtained particles and site status within the ferrite lattice structure.