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Structural, morphological, electrical, and magnetic characteristics of 20MnFe2O4-80SiO2 nanocomposite synthesized by the one-pot auto-combustion route

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Abstract

We report an investigation of the structural, morphological, the ac-dc electrical, magnetic, and Mössbauer spectroscopy properties of 20MnFe2O4-80SiO2 nanocomposite prepared using a one-step and facile auto-combustion approach. XRD pattern shows the formation of MnFe2O4 nanocrystallite without any crystallization of the SiO2 phase. However, the presence of a secondary phase of the nanosized α-Fe2O3 particles was also detected. The morphological analysis showed aggregation of polygonal magnetic nano-crystallites dispersed non-uniformly in a silica matrix. The dc electrical measurements performed on a wide range of temperatures from 120 to 400 K showed the semiconducting nature of the nanocomposite. The temperature dependence of dc conductivity could be perfectly fitted to the nearest neighborhood hopping model with activation energy, ΔENNH, of 0.45 eV. The Nyquist plots demonstrated a nonmonotonous thermally activated trend and non-Debye relaxation behavior. An equivalent circuit was successfully fitted to the complex impedance spectra. The variation of both grain and grain boundary conductivities as a function of temperature exhibited three distinct regions, semiconducting-metallic-semiconducting with different activation energies over the measured temperature window. The provided description of such behavior is further advocated by the ac conductivity and dielectric modulus studies. VSM measurements revealed that the nanocomposite magnetic behavior deviates from the ideal non-interacting superparamagnetic picture, due to the presence of α-Fe2O3 nanocrystalline impurities and relatively intensive exchange interactions between ions. Mössbauer spectra showed the presence of Fe3+ ions with sixfold environment and also confirmed the existence of a sextet related to α-Fe2O3 with a quantity of about 20% out of magnetic components. Fe3+ superparamagnetic doublets were also found within the fitting procedure.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project UID/CTM/50025/2013 and UID/FIS/04564/2016. This work was also supported by funds from FEDER (Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade COMPETE) and from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the Project No. UID/FIS/04564/2016. This research also is sponsored by FEDER funds through the program COMPETE and by national funds through FCT, under the project UIDB/00285/2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, SEG-CEMMPRE, University of Coimbra, 3030-788, Coimbra, Portugal

    S. A. Salehizadeh

  2. Physics Department, CFisUC, University of Coimbra, 3004-516, Coimbra, Portugal

    B. F. O. Costa & V. H. Rodrigues

  3. Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans IMMM UMR CNRS 6283, Le Mans Université, Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085, Le Mans, France

    J.-M. Greneche

  4. i3N - Department of Physics, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    M. A. Valente & M. P. F. Graça

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Salehizadeh, S.A., Costa, B.F.O., Rodrigues, V.H. et al. Structural, morphological, electrical, and magnetic characteristics of 20MnFe2O4-80SiO2 nanocomposite synthesized by the one-pot auto-combustion route. Appl. Phys. A 128, 812 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-022-05876-4

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