Cd content dependent structural and magnetic properties of Cd-Ni nano ferrite

Ni1-xCdxFe2O4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.72) ferrites were synthesized by sol-gel auto-combustion method. X-ray diffraction, magnetic measurements were used to investigate structural, magnetic properties of nanocrystalline ferrite with Scherrer’s grain diameter (D) ranging between 9.67  38.27 nm. Results reveal that with increasing Cd content, there is an increase of experimental lattice parameter (aexp), x-ray density (XRD), specific surface area (S), and hopping lengths for tetrahedral and octahedral site (LA, LB), accounted for difference in ionic radii of Cd2+ (0.097 nm) as compared to the Ni2+ ion (0.069 nm) and Fe3+ ion (0.064 nm). With Cd2+ ions addition: a) they remain more populated on A site, Ni2+ ions remain more populated on B site, whereas concentration of Fe3+ ions increases on B-site, resulting in increasing saturation magnetization (Ms) from 30.2  54.4 Am2/kg; b) distribution of Ni2+, Cd2+, Fe3+ cations on tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) site shows mixed spinel structure; c) oxygen positional parameter (u), inversion parameter ( ) also display increase of disorder, degree of inversion, affecting Ms and coercivity (Hc) (varies between 73.2  198.9 Oe).