Tailoring the magnetic properties of Zn doped nickel, magnesium and cobalt ferrite ceramics

Zinc substituted cobalt, magnesium and nickel ferrites (M(1−x)ZnxFe2O4, x = 0.0, 0.5) were prepared using combustion reaction techniques. The particle sizes were roughly round shaped with 1 μm dimensions. The Zn2+ substitution led to the increase in the crystal parameters with higher densities. The band shift in FTIR spectra was observed at 600 cm−1 for the A-site doping. The obtained magnetic measurement results have demonstrated the effect of zinc substitution preferably in tetrahedral site on all the ferrites. More precisely, the maximum saturation magnetization and anisotropy value were observed for the Co–CoZn pairs. The magnetic parameters variation was presented through Yafet and Kittel model with the help of change in geometry of the interaction between A-B sites. Keywords: Spinel ferrite; A-B super-exchange; magnetic properties; high entropy oxides; Rietveld refinement. •Synthesis of zinc substituted cobalt, magnesium and nickel ferrite.•Tailoring the bond length and strain parameters with the substitutions.•Transforming ferrite into a soft magnetic material with lower energy loss.•Tuning the anisotropy for superior thermal stability of the ferrites.