Doping assisted structural transition in copper substituted MgFe2O4 ferrite: Thermal, electrical andmagnetic properties

A cubic to tetragonal structure transition has evolved by substitution ofcu2+ ions in magnesium ferrite, fabricated via the sol-gel method. tem studies revealedquasi-spherical particles for mgfe2o4 and rod-shaped particles for cufe2o4, suggestingan enhancement of morphological anisotropy with cu doping. thermal analysis shows theformation of mgfe2o4 and cufe2o4 at 380c and 340c, respectively, indicating areduction in temperature for the formation of samples with copper doping. xrd showsthe structural transition from a cubic to a tetragonal structure with increasing copperconcentration. the dc electrical resistivity decreases with copper doping in mgfe2o4,attributing to the increase in conductivity due to cu2+-cu+ ions hopping. mgfe2o4 hasbeen found to have a saturation magnetization of 23 emu/g and a coercive eld of 54oe. the saturation magnetization increases, while coercivity initially decreases and thenincreases with increasing copper concentration.