Combustion synthesis and characterization of Sn4+ substituted nanocrystalline NiFe2O4

Abstract: A series of Sn4+ substituted NiFe2O4 with general formula Ni1−x Sn x Fe2O4 (x =0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8) has been prepared by novel combustion synthetic method. The prepared compounds have been sintered at 1000°C and evaluated for their structural and electrical properties. XRD studies reveal the synthesized compounds are nanocrystalline size with cubic structure. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra show the characteristic features of the synthesized ferrite compounds. The UV–vis spectra reveal the optical band gap of the synthesized compounds. The dc electrical conductivity of the compounds found to increase with increasing measuring temperature. A maximum dc electrical conductivity of 6.0Scm−1 was obtained at a measuring temperature of 1000°C in the composition of x =0.8, for which the activation energy for conduction is found to be minimum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]