Correlation between AC and DC transport properties of Mn substituted cobalt ferrite

Abstract

The CoFe2-xMnxO4 compound is prepared by following the sol gel technique. The structural analysis through XRD and Rietveld has been confirmed for the single cubic phase having Fd3¯m space group for CoFe2-xMnxO4 and also verified it through Raman spectroscopy measurements. The tetrahedral site observed to be red shifted with increase in Mn concentration in cobalt ferrite. All the XRD patterns have been analyzed by employing the Rietveld refinement technique. The particle size was found to be in the range of 30–40 nm. The electrical properties of polycrystalline CoFe2-xMnxO4 for x = 0.00, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.2, spinel ferrite was investigated by impedance spectroscopy. The influence of doping, frequency and temperature on the electrical transport properties of the CoFe2-xMnxO4 for x = 0.00, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20 were investigated. The magnitude of Z′ and Z″ decreases with increase in temperature. Only one semicircle is observed in each Cole Cole plot which reveals that ac conductivity is dominated by grains. The grain resistance and grain boundary resistance both were found to decrease as a function of temperature. Temperature variation of DC electrical conductivity follows the Arrhenius relationship. A detailed analysis of electrical parameters provides assistance in connecting information regarding the conduction mechanism as well as determination of both dielectric and magnetic transition temperatures in the substituted cobalt ferrite. Detailed analysis of ac impedance and DC resistivity measurement reveals that, the magnetic ordering temperature in the Mn substituted cobalt ferrite does not respond to the frequency of ac electrical signal; however, it responds to the DC resistivity. The correlation between ac impedance and DC resistivity has been established.