Influence of Gd substitution on the structural, dielectric, elastic and magnetic properties of Mg0.3Cu0.2Zn0.4GdxFe2.1-xO4.

Influence of Gd substitution on the structural, microstructure, dielectric, elastic and magnetic properties of Mg–Cu–Zn ferrites with the compositions Mg 0.3 Cu 0.2 Zn 0.4 Gd x Fe 2.1 - x O 4 (where x = 0.0, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.04) have been reported in this study. The structural property has been performed with an X-ray diffraction technique. It shows a single-phase cubic spinel structure for x ≤ 0.01, while a small peak of GdFeO 3 is seen with the spinel structure for x > 0.01. The surface morphology study indicates that the grain growth of Mg–Cu–Zn ferrites depends on the Gd content. It reveals that the average grain size is found to be larger for x = 0.01, which could be attributed to the densification of the sample. The magnetic hysteresis loop has been investigated for all the prepared samples. It shows that the saturation magnetization is found to be larger for x = 0.01, which is also correlated to the grain size. The dielectric constant of the prepared samples has been studied at 300 K as a function of frequency. An enhancement of the dielectric constant is observed for Gd-substituted Mg–Cu–Zn ferrites. The Cole–Cole plots have displayed a single semicircular arc, which indicates that the conduction mechanism occurred through a grain effect. The elastic constants such as bulk modulus, Young's modulus, rigidity modulus and Poisson's ratio have been calculated for all the studied samples. It reveals that all the synthesized samples are in ductile nature. It is expected that Gd substituted Mg–Cu–Zn ferrites with the composition Mg0.3Cu0.2Zn0.4Gd0.01Fe2.09O4 is a potential material for high-frequency operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]