Dense and half-dense NiZnCo ferrite ceramics: Their respective relevance for antenna downsizing, according to their dielectric and magnetic properties at microwave frequencies

Abstract

Spinel ferrite Ni0.5Zn0.3Co0.2Fe1.98O4−x nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method, and samples were realized by moulding and annealing at key temperatures (TM = 800 °C, 900 °C, 1050 °C, determined beforehand through shrinkage measurements) going with calcining and sintering processes. Annealing at 800 °C and 900 °C led to half-dense ceramics (porosity ∼50 vol. %), whereas bulky ferrite was obtained after annealing at 1050 °C. Elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction and ion chromatography analysis were performed. Complex dielectric permittivity (ε*) and magnetic permeability (μ*) were investigated up to 6 GHz. With increasing TM, a decreasing amount of Fe2+ was observed, going with increasing sample density. Coupled effects of the Fe2+ concentration and of the porosity, both on dielectric and magnetic properties, were chiefly investigated and discussed. The materials show almost constant permittivities (ε′ = 5.0, 6.0, and 14.8 for TM = 800 °C, 900 °C and 1050 °C, respectively). The bulk value at f = 1 GHz (ε′ = 14.8) can be interpreted well according to Shannon's theory. The permittivities of the half-dense ceramics are discussed on the basis of Bruggeman's Effective Medium Theory. The materials annealed at 800 °C and 900 °C show almost constant magnetic permeabilities in the frequency range from 0.2 to 1 GHz (μ′ = 3.4 and 6.0 for TM = 800 °C and 900 °C). The observed permeability behavior is typical of monodomain particles, except for the sample annealed at 1050 °C, for which domain wall contribution to μ* is suspected because of non-negligible losses at low frequency (μ″ = 1.3–1.8 at f < 0.3 GHz). This finding is supported by estimations of the upper and lower values for the critical grain size, on the basis of Brown–Van der Zaag's theory. Facing bulk ceramics, and in view of using Ni0.5Zn0.3Co0.2Fe1.98O4−x ferrite as substrate for antenna miniaturization, the electromagnetic properties of half-dense ceramics materials seem to be very competitive at frequencies beyond 0.2 GHz, and up to 0.7–0.8 GHz.