Effect of hafnium-incorporation on the microstructure and dielectric properties of cobalt ferrite ceramics

The effect of hafnium ion (Hf4+) incorporation in cobalt ferrite (CFO) was studied. Samples of Hf substituted CFO ceramic (CoFe 2-xHfxO4), were synthesized in the laboratory with hafnium concentrations ranging from x=0.000 to x=0.200. X-ray diffraction scans show that the Hafnium CFO crystalizes in the inverse spinel phase. Inclusion of hafnium causes lattice expansion, increasing the lattice parameter from 8.374 Å for pure CoFe2O4 to 8.391 Å for the highest concentration of hafnium tested (x=0.020). The dielectric properties of CFO are greatly enhanced by inclusion of hafnium. The enhancement is due to the distortion on the lattice from the larger Hf-ions substituting the smaller Fe-ions. Frequency variation of the dielectric properties is well modeled by the modified Debye function, which takes into account multiple ions contributing to relaxation