The influence of Zr and Ni co-substitution on structural, dielectric and magnetic traits of lithium spinel ferrites

The impact of Ni2+ and Zr4+ on the physical properties of LiFe2O4 ferrites is investigated and synthesized via the microemulsion technique. X-ray diffraction pattern of pure and substituted lithium ferrites exhibited spinel structure. The constant lattice increases with increasing dopants concentration up to x = 0.2 and decreases for higher x. The crystallite size value varies from 8.15 to 12.37 nm. The incorporation of heavier ions with lighter ions increased the X-ray density of lithium ferrites. The value of dielectric parameters such as dielectric constant and dielectric loss decreases with the substation of Ni2+ and Zr4+ ions. The Maxwell Wagner model ascribes the decrease in dielectric parameters. Substituted lithium ferrites observe a high Q value. The magnetic studies revealed that saturation magnetization and coercivity were significantly affected by Ni2+ and Zr4+ ions. The inclusion of Ni2+ and Zr4+ ions improves the dielectric and magnetic properties making it suitable for high-frequency applications.