Abstract
Mn substituted Mn x Zn1-x Co2O4 (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1) oxides were synthesized by a facile co-precipitation method followed by calcination at 600 °C. The presence of manganese ions causes appreciable changes in the structural and magnetic properties of the Mn-substituted ZnCo2O4. The morphologies, structures, and electronic properties of Mn-Zn-Co oxide microspheres were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirmed the formation of spinel Mn x Zn1-x Co2O4. It was shown that the Mn-Zn-Co oxide microspheres increase in size and become regular in shape with increasing Mn concentration with the crystal size lying in the range from 19.1 nm to 51.3 nm. Magnetization measurements were carried out using a vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature and 10 K. The saturation magnetization is observed to increase with increasing Mn concentration from x = 0 to x = 1.