Electronic and Magnetic Properties of SnFe2O4 Spinel Ferrites

In this work, the electronic and magnetic properties of SnFe2O4 spinel ferrite with various cation distributions (mixed, normal and inverse spinel phases) were studied. The calculations were performed by Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker (KKR)-coherent potential approximation (CPA) method with generalized gradient (GGA) approximation for the exchange and correlation functional. Our spin-polarized calculations give a half-metallic character for SnFe2O4 inverse spinel phase and near half-metallic character for SnFe2O4 mixed spinel phase and metal character for SnFe2O4 normal spinel phase. These results, which contribute to understanding the effect of the cation distribution in SnFe2O4 ferrite with spinel structure in the existence of gap states occupied by majority and minority spin electrons, the spin magnetic moments, the magnetization and the half-metallic behaviour.