Investigation of Magnetic, Thermal and Electrical Properties of Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 Ferrite Nanoparticles by Annealing Temperature Effect

Abstract Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe₂O₄ ferrite nanoparticles produced by co-precipitation and subsequently annealed at temperatures between 600 and 1000°C are examined in this work. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of the desired polycrystalline spinel structure and prominent peaks strongly affected by higher annealing temperature. As the annealing temperature increased, the crystallite size grew from 32 nm to 46 nm, which improved the crystallinity of the material. FTIR spectroscopy also confirmed the mixed spinel structure because of two prominent vibrational modes at 451–466 cm⁻¹ involving Mg-O, Zn-O, and Fe-O. Dynamic light scattering indicates that the size of the nanoparticles increases as the annealing temperature rises to 1000°C. Impedance spectroscopy provides deeper insights into the electrical behavior of materials by revealing the relaxation time of the electrical process. Cyclic voltammetry analysis indicates that the capacitance reaches its maximum at 1000°C (7.68 F/g). The highest residual mass is 98.20% at 990.78°C observed for the synthesized materials at 1000°C, indicating the highest thermal stability among the samples. According to the VSM evaluation, the coercivity (Hc) drastically dropped at 900°C, while the concentration magnetization (Ms) peaked. This decline was ascribed to the material's magnetic softness, which is caused by grain growth. Accordingly, these analyses show that annealing is a practical method for accurately modifying the electrochemical, magnetic, and structural properties of Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles for application in magnetic hyperthermia, filters, and sensor technologies.