Influence of Zinc Substitution on the Structural, Dielectric, and Gas-Sensing Properties of Mg_1–xZn_xFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles

Abstract

In the present work, Mg1–x Zn x Fe2O4 (MZFO) nanoparticles with x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.35, and 0.5 were synthesized via a chemical coprecipitation method. The study aimed to explore the effect of substituting Mg with Zn in MZFO on its structural, dielectric, and gas-sensing properties. The spinel phase formation was confirmed using X-ray diffraction, and the morphology of the prepared nanoparticles was revealed using scanning electron microscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the band ranges of 500–600 cm–1 for tetrahedral and 390–450 cm–1 for octahedral lattice sites. The dielectric data showed that Zn substitution in MZFO decreased both the dielectric constant and loss with increasing frequencies and attained a stagnant value at higher frequencies. Furthermore, the gas-sensing characteristics of Zn-substituted spinel ferrites at room temperature for CO2, O2, and N2 were studied. The nanostructured MZFO exhibited high sensitivity in the order of CO2 > O2 ≫ N2 and showed a good response time of (∼1 min) for CO2, demonstrating that MZFO can be a good potential candidate for gas-sensing applications.