SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF Mn0.3Zno.7Fe2O4 FERRITE WITH SOL-GEL COMBUSTION METHOD

Abstract

Ferrite powders Mn0.3Zn0.7Fe2O4 were synthesized with the sol-gel combustion method using manganese nitrate, zinc nitrate, ferric nitrate and citric acid as raw materials. The formation process, structure, surface morphology and electromagnetic perfor-mance of samples were characterized using TG-DSC, XRD, SEM and a network analyzer. A spinel ferrite with a pure phase composition and a uniform size distribution of 30–50 nm was prepared in the best preparation conditions including a firing tem-perature of 1050 °C, holding time of 3 h, ratio of citric acid to nitrate (MRCM) of 1:1 and pH value of 7. The products prepared under these conditions show excellent microwave electromagnetic properties; the reflection loss (RL) of Mn0.3Zn0.7Fe2O4 reaches the maximum value of -17.02 dB at 14.1 GHz, but the RL is 10 dB higher in the range of 12.5-15 GHz.