Investigation of structural and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline manganese substituted lithium ferrites

Nanocrystalline manganese substituted lithium ferrites Li(0.5)Fe(2.5-x)Mn(x)O(4) (2.5 <= x <= 0) were prepared by sol-gel auto-combustion method. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that as the concentration of manganese increased, the cubic phase changed to tetragonal. Magnetic properties were measured by hysteresis loop tracer technique. All the compositions indicated ferrimagnetic nature. The surface morphology of all the samples was studied by using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The substitution of manganese ions in the lattice affected the structural as well as magnetic properties of spinels. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc.