Dielectric behaviour of nanocrystalline Cu0.2Ni0.8Fe2O4 ferrite.

Nanocystalline Cu0.2Ni0.8Fe2O4 of average particle size 3 nm was synthesized through chemical coprecipitation method followed by annealing at various temperatures. The formation of cubic spinel structure in single phase and the crystallite growth was confirmed using XRD. The dielectric behavior as a function of frequency in the range 75 kHz to 10 MHz was studied at room temperature. Both dielectric constant ([variant_greek_epsilon]′) and the loss factor (tanδ) decreases with frequency for all samples. This decrease in the values could be explained on the basis of available ferrous, i.e. Fe2+, ions at octahedral sites such that beyond a certain frequency of applied electric field the electronic exchange between the ferrous and ferric ions i.e. Fe2+↔Fe3+ cannot follow the applied alternating electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]