Improved structural and dielectric traits of Cd-Zn spinel ferrites by co-substitution of La3+ and Er3+ cations

In the present work, the effect of co-doping of rare earth (Re3+), La and Er cations on the physical and dielectric performance of Cd-Zn spinel ferrites fabricated by sol-gel auto combustion method is reported. The prepared ferrites were doubly calcinated at 550 ℃ and 750 ℃ for 2 hours and 8 hours, respectively. The obtained samples were investigated using XRD, FTIR and dielectric measurements. XRD powder patterns verified the single-phase growth of spinel structure of all the as-synthesized ferrites with Fd-3m space group. The obtained results revealed that the Lattice constant reduces with increasing Er3+ concentrations, while crystallite size showed increasing behavior with increasing Er3+ concentration. FTIR results revealed the existence of two major absorptionbands i.e. low frequency bands in range 405-428 cm-1 and high frequency bands in range 523- 550 cm-1 which are evidence of spinel structure formation. LCR measurements are used to investigate the impact of co-doping of La3+ and Er3+ on the various dielectric parameters of prepared samples in response to frequency. Dielectric constant and loss decreased with the incorporation of Er3+, while an increase in ac conductivity was observed. The observed properties reveal that the prepared materials are suitable candidates for application in the high-speed microwave and radio frequency devices.