Structural, morphological, dielectric, and spectral properties of Sr-Mg-Ho X-type magnetic nano materials suitable for microwave absorption application

Abstract

Holmium (Ho3+) substituted Sr2Mg2Fe28O46 X-type hexa-ferrites were synthesized using the sol-gel auto-combustion route. The single phase of Sr2Mg2Fe28-xHoxO46 where 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.20, Δx = 0.05, X-type hexa-ferrites was confirmed using XRD peaks. The crystalline size was studied from XRD data and found to be in the 11 nm–24 nm range. The micro strain increased with the substitution of Ho3+. FTIR exposed the specific stretching vibration and absorption peaks in the 400 cm−1 - 600 cm−1 range. The force constant (ko) decreased from 1.74 N/cm to 1.65 N/cm with the increasing concentration of Ho3+. The grain size range is 371–493 nm, measured by SEM analysis, and plate-like structure plays a crucial role in enhancing the permeability of magnetic material. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed the hexagonal structure of X-type ferrites (x = 0.20). The results of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiment confirmed the presence of all metal ions in the given composition with their required valences. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and tangent loss are found to increase with the substitution of the Ho3+ ion. In addition, the higher values of dielectric parameters and dielectric loss suggest that the material may suitable for high-frequency applications and best for microwave absorbers. Our aim is to discuss the characteristics and applications of microwave absorption materials, understand their behavior, and contribute to the development of upcoming novel devices. The resonance peak's appearance shows that these materials are best for multilayer chip inductors and EMI attenuation.