Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Mn-Doped Nickel Ferrite (Ni1-xMnxFe2O4) Thin Films Deposited by Jet Nebulizer Spray Pyrolysis Technique

Abstract

In this work, pure and Mn-doped nickel ferrite (Ni1-xMnxFe2O4, x = 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%) thin films were prepared using facile nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. The effect of Mn concentration on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties was studied. The XRD pattern confirms the cubic spinel structure of Ni1-xMnxFe2O4 thin films and reveals the preferred orientation along the (311) direction for each film. Moreover, the average crystallite size (D) is found to increase from 13 to 30 nm with increasing Mn concentration. The FESEM micrographs exhibit randomly arranged plate-like and rice-like grains. The elements such as Mn, Ni, Fe, and O are confirmed by the EDX analysis. The optical band gap energy (E-g) varies between 2.90 and 3.60 eV. The Ni1-xMnxFe2O4 film prepared with 3 wt% of Mn exhibits superior ferrimagnetic behavior with the highest value of eta(B) (57.31) due to the high crystallinity, packing density, and smooth surface of the film. The present work shows that the facile nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique can produce high-quality Ni1-xMnxFe2O4 thin films with good magnetic properties.