Synthesis and characterization of manganese-zinc ferrite obtained by thermal decomposition from organic precursors

Mn-Zn ferrites were obtained by the sol-gel autocombustion methods. The effect of the precursor used in the sol-gel autocombustion synthesis on the ferrite's microstructure was examined. The as-obtained powders were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, and TG/DTA. All ferrite powders obtained from different organic precursors, after gel autocombustion, were pure spinel phase, without secondary phases. The average crystallite size, estimated from Scherrer equation, was the smallest for ferrite obtained from a mixture of fuels/precursors (citric acid and EDTA). This ferrite powder has sponge-like microstructure with large pores, but it is less agglomerated than the material obtained from glycine as the fuel.