Structural, Morphology, Electrical Polarization and FTIR Properties of Zn Substituted T-type Hexagonal Ferrites

A series of divalent Zn substituted T-type hexagonal ferrite material having the composition (x= 0.0, 0.02, 0.06, 0.1) was synthesized by using the sol-gel auto combustion method. Structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of T-type hexagonal ferrite were explored by using an X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Precision multiferroic II. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the single hexagonal phase ferrites for all the samples. With the substitution of the ions, the change in the values of lattice constants ‘a’, ‘c’ and unit cell volume was observed. The Debye Scherrer formula was used to calculate the crystallite size which was determined to be varied in the range of 26.3nm to 28.3nm. FTIR spectra also indicated that the present synthesized material had single-phase hexagonal structure. SEM micrographs revealed the agglomeration of small grains. The average grain size was found to be 0.331um which might be suitable for microwave absorption applications. The Polarization verse Electric field (P-E) loops unveiled the increase in saturation and remnant polarization. The P-E loops also exhibited the lossy behavior after substitution and the increase in lossy behavior with substitution results in an increase in conductivity of the material.