Dielectric, impedance, and modulus spectroscopic studies of cerium-doped zinc spinel ferrite ZnCe x Fe 2− x O 4 nanoparticle

Cerium-doped zinc spinel ferrite (ZnCe x Fe 2− x O 4 ) nanoparticles with x = 0.00–0.20 were synthesized via sol–gel method and annealed at 600 °C for 3 h. The existence of FCC spinel phase with secondary phase of the prepared samples was confirmed by the XRD pattern. The crystallite size was estimated by Williamson–Hall, Scherrer’s formula, modified Scherrer’s formula, and size strain plot found in the range of 12–19 nm. Scanning Electron Microscopy showed nonuniform and nonspherical grains distribution in the samples. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the existence of two characteristic absorption bands in the samples. Complex impedance, complex dielectric constant, tangent loss, AC conductivity, and complex electric modulus were determined in the 1 MHz to 3 GHz frequency range. It is found that dielectric constant almost remains constant up to 1.4 GHz and after that relaxation peaks are observed. Vibrating sample magnetometry showed that saturation magnetization decreased by 44.37%. Low dielectric losses at high frequencies made them good contestants for microwave devices.