Study of the Effect of Quenching on Microstructural and Magnetic Properties of Cu-Doped Mg-Ferrite

Mg1-xCuxFe2O4 (x = 0.0–0.5) was prepared by the double sintering ceramic method, which sintered at 1100°C and 1200°C for 3 hours and investigated for structural, microstructural, and magnetic properties as a function of the Cu content and cooling process. XRD analysis of 1100°C sintered samples revealed that all the samples were crystallized in a single-phase cubic spinal structure. The microstructural and magnetic properties of slow cooled (furnace-cooled) and fast cooled (quenched) Mg-Cu ferrites have been studied using the scanning electron microscope (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and Mössbauer spectroscopy after sintering at 1200°C. Homogeneous coaxial grains did not form for any furnace-cooled samples, while for the quenched sample, homogeneous grains were clearly visible even without doping with Cu. Substantial grain growth was witnessed by the samples with higher copper content for both cooling conditions, whereas quenched samples possessed a smaller grain size compared to furnace-cooled samples. The saturation magnetization experienced a higher value for quenched samples compared to furnace-cooled samples with increasing Cu content except for x = 0.4. The sextet pattern of Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed all the samples were ferromagnetic in nature. Chemical shift, quadrupole shift, hyperfine field, and site occupancy of Fe3+ were also obtained using Mössbauer spectroscopy.