Structural, Magnetic, and Electrical Properties of Al³⁺ Substituted CuZn-ferrites

Nanocrystalline Cu_0.5Zn_0.5Fe_2-xAl_xO₂ (x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5) ferrite materials were synthesized using standard solid state reaction technique. The effects of Al³⁺ contents on the structural, electrical, and magnetic properties were investigated. Single phase cubic spinel structure was revealed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystallite size was evaluated considering the most intense diffraction peak (311) using Scherrer formula. Lattice constant decreased, whereas porosity increased with the increase in Al³⁺ concentration. The value of saturation magnetization decreased with increasing aluminum contents. Temperature dependent value of direct current electrical resistivity has been determined. It is observed that the substitution of Al³⁺ has significant impact on the dielectric constant, tangent of dielectric loss angle and dielectric loss factor. The variation in dielectric properties was attributed to space charge polarization.