Structural, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of Zn0.7MnxNi0.3−xO nanoparticles synthesized by sol–gel technique

The structural, morphology, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of Zn0.7MnxNi0.3−xO (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2) nanoparticles synthesized by sol–gel technique have been systematically investigated by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV–vis-NIR spectrophotometer, impedance analyzer, and vibration sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD patterns reveal that all samples have hexagonal wurtzite structure along with secondary phases such as NiO and ZnMnO3. The average crystalline size increases with the increase in the Mn concentration in the host matrix. Diffuse reflectance studies (DRS) show an increment in optical band gap with increasing Mn content. AC conductivity of present samples has been studied as a function of frequency (100 Hz–10 MHz) of the applied AC signal in the temperature range of 323–463 K. The results showed that AC conductivity increases with an increase in frequency and temperature. The frequency exponent shows that small polaron conduction mechanism is the most favorable for all samples. The value of AC conductivity is observed to decrease with an increase in the Mn dopant concentration in the Zn0.7MnxNi0.3−xO system. At room temperature, magnetic characterization of the samples indicates the presence of both paramagnetic and ferromagnetic behavior. Magnetic saturation decreases with the increase in the Mn concentration in the host lattice