Synthesis of nano Mn-Zn ferrites by gel combustion method with three different fuels and investigation of their structure and properties

The purpose of studying the properties of zinc-manganese nanoferrite was to compare organic fuels that were produced in conditions created by the auto gel combustion method, using citric acid, glycine, and urea with different pH values: (citric acid = 6, glycine = 3 and urea = 0). The samples were prepared in stoichiometric ratios to gain Mn_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄, and all the samples were calcined in the same condition (500 °C and 30 minutes). It should be noted that the entire process of synthesis was photographed to analyze the effect of fuels during the combustion process. Combustion reactions were studied by simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), FT-IR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), also the Rietveld method was used to determine the type and amount of crystalline phases. Magnetic properties of the samples were measured by vibration sample magnetometer (VSM), and their morphology and powder agglomeration was observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Superior magnetic properties of the sample synthesized with glycine were achieved. Urea gave the smallest particle size, while citric acid produced intermediate properties.