Microstructure and magnetic properties of Gd³⁺ doped Zn-Cu-Co nano ferrites

Zn-Cu-Co ferrite was synthesized by sol–gel method, in which Gd³⁺ was gradually doped instead of Fe³⁺, with the chemical formula Zn_0.1Cu_0.1Co_0.8Fe_2-xGd_xO₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, in steps of 0.025). XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS, VSM, and UV–Vis were used to investigate the crystal structure, morphology, and magnetic properties of the synthesized ferrite materials. The phase of the material was found to be a cubic spinel phase with a small amount of GdFeO₃. The particles of the material showed a cubic shape structure and Gd³⁺ was successfully doped into the ferrite. The magnetization of the material decreases with increasing Gd³⁺ doping, and the coercivity first decreases and then increases, with the maximum coercivity Hc = 261.361Oe when Gd³⁺ is doped with 0.025. The lower perpendicularity indicates that the material is more suitable for high-frequency components, and the material has the properties of the semiconductor.