Synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of Zn substituted Ni-Co-Mn-Mg ferrites

A series of Zn substituted Ni-Co-Mn-Mg ferrites were synthesized from the laterite leaching solutions with different contents of ZnCl2 by using a coprecipitation method. The effects of Zn substitution on the structure and magnetic properties of as-prepared samples were investigated. XRD results revealed that all the samples were single-phase of cubic spinel, and the lattice constant and average grain size increased simultaneously with increase in Zn doping amount. Magnetic property tests indicated that when the Zn doping amount was increased from 0 to 0.80, the Ms values initially increased from 29.6 to 55.6 emu g(-1) and then decreased to 4 emu g(-1), while the Hc values kept gradually decreasing from 55 to 4 Oe. Specifically, when the Zn doping amount was controlled at 0.40, the Ms and Hc values of the as-prepared sample were 55.6 emu g(-1) and 32 Oe, respectively. And the results can be explained by Neel's two sublattice and Yafet-Kittle configuration models. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.