Influence of Swift Heavy Ion (Si<sup>+8</sup>) Irradiation on Super-Paramagnetic Mn<sub>0.5</sub>Zn<sub>0.5</sub>Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> Nanoparticles Having Different Sizes

Abstract

We report the Swift Heavy Ion (SHI) irradiation effect on structural and magnetic properties of Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4ferrite nanoparticles. The irradiation experiment has been carried out on three different sized, i.e. 63, 82 and 126 Å, Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4particles with 100 MeV Si+8ions to a fluence 5 × 1013ions/cm2using the 15UD Tandem accelerator. The XRD measurement reveals that the basic single phase spinel structure remains unaltered after SHI irradiation; however, the lattice parameters and particle size decrease on SHI irradiation. The magnetization measurement carried out at 300 K indicates that all the particles are super-paramagnetic at room temperature, but the applied magnetic field of 70 kOe is insufficient to saturate the system. DC and AC magnetization measurements indicate that on irradiation, the sample with an intermediate size is affected more than the other two.