Particle Size Effects on Magnetic Properties of ZnFe2O4 Ferrite

Magnetic nanoparticles have gained a lot of interest in the last two decades due to their interesting properties and application in various devices. In this paper, we report the magnetic studies and low-temperature transitions in ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles and bulk samples synthesized by the citrate combustion method. XRD results confirm the spinel cubic phase in both samples treated at 600 °C and 1200 °C. Magnetic measurements show that nanopowders have hysteresis behavior without saturation due to their paramagnetic nature, whereas the sintered sample shows highly paramagnetic behavior. Temperature dependence of magnetization curves shows the blocking temperature of 17 K for the ZnFe2O4 nanopowders, higher than 11 K as observed for the corresponding bulk sample.