Polymer composites with magnetically active Eu-substituted NiZn ferrite fillers

Abstract

In this research, the influence of Eu substitution on structural, quasi-static as well as dynamic (electro)magnetic properties of nickel zinc ferrites has been studied. The correlation of increasing europium content in the substituted NiZn ferrite filler with constant concentration (60 vol%) and the frequency dispersion of the complex permeability in magnetically active composite samples has been explored as well. Eu-substituted nickel-zinc ferrites with chemical composition Ni0.3Zn0.7EuxFe2-xO4, where x changes from 0.00 to 0.10 (step 0.02) ions per formula unit (i./f.u.), have been selected for their high initial permeability and in general good other magnetic parameters. On contrary, non-substituted ferrite of this composition exhibits undesirably low Curie temperature inconvenient for the use of these materials even at room temperatures. Therefore, Eu has been selected as a substituent for its known ability to increase the Curie temperature of prepared ferrites. The ferrites have been synthesized by means of the conventional solid state reaction method including double sintering at the temperatures of 950 °C and 1200 °C and used as magnetically active fillers incorporated into the magnetic polymer composites. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) has been used as the polymeric matrix. In spite of substituent amount x being the only parameter changing intentionally, the behavior of both the ferrite filler (deterministic until the creation of the second, non-magnetic, phase above x = 0.04) and the ferrite/PVC composites is quite hard to explain, and validate quantitatively, on the basis of simple theoretical assumptions. Nevertheless, the experiments confirmed positive effect of europium on the increase of Curie temperature. Also, the peak frequency of the imaginary component of the complex permeability has been found to be very sensitive to x, thus offering an effective tool for tuning the high-frequency properties of the composites useable for various applications, especially the shielding of microwave electromagnetic fields.