Investigation of structural, dielectric, and magnetic properties of hard and soft mixed ferrite composites

Barium ferrite (hard ferrite) and manganese nickel zinc ferrite (soft ferrite) were successfully synthesized by citrate gel combustion technique. They were used to form the composites by mixing them properly in required compositions (x)BaFe12O19-(1−x)Mn0.2Ni0.4Zn0.4Fe2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to investigate the different structural and morphological parameters of pure and mixed ferrite composites. XRD and SEM results confirmed the coexistence of both phases in the composite material. Moreover, it has been observed that the composites were constituted by nanosized particles. Structure of pure soft ferrite was found to be cubic and that of pure hard ferrite was hexagonal. Dielectric constant (ε′ and ε″) and dielectric loss (tan δ) were analyzed as a function of frequency and composition and the behaviour is explained on the basis of Maxwell-Wagner model. It was observed that the dielectric loss decreases with the increase of hard ferrite content in the composite material. Magnetic measurements suggest the exchange coupling between the magnetizations of soft and hard ferrite grains. It has been observed that the coercivity increases with the increase of the volume of the hard phase in the composite material after an optimal value.