Structural, microstructural, spectral, and dielectric properties of erbium substituted spinel ferrites

The Erbium substituted manganese spinel ferrites were prepared via the microemulsion route. The average crystallite size varies from 10.21 to 17.41 nm, while the lattice constant observes to increase from 8.473 to 8.509 Å. X-ray density increases with the incorporation of Er³⁺ ions in manganese ferrites. The characteristic bands lie in the range of 410–560 cm⁻¹ which confirms the cubic structure of synthesized ferrites. The band variation is evidence of the successful substituting of Er³⁺ ions in manganese spinel ferrites lattices. Bond lengths increase with the increase of Er³⁺ content. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and tan loss decrease as frequency and Erbium concentration increase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs reveal the decrease in grain size with Er³⁺ in manganese ferrites. The obtained results suggested that synthesized ferries can be potential candidates for high-frequency applications.