Chapter 4 Synthesis of Mg- ferrite

4.1. Introduction
Spinel MgFe2O4 nanoparticles have been extensively used in various
technological and biomedical applications in the past decades. It covers wide
range of applications including humidity sensor, switching circuits, contrast
agent in magnetic resonance imaging, tissue repair, immunoassays,
detoxification of biological fluids, targeted drug delivery and magnetic
hyperthermia [1-3]. The effective applicability of such ferrimagnetic/
superparamagnetic nanoparticles is driven by their physical and chemical
property which is highly sensitive to their shape and sizes. The shape and size of
these nanoparticles can be effectively controlled by the synthesis route [4-5]. In
recent years, various physical and chemical techniques such as co-precipitation,
forced hydrolysis, polyol [6], sol-gel [7], ball milling [8] and combustion [9a and
9b] have been successfully used for the synthesis of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles.
Although chemical co-precipitation method is suitable for mass production of
magnetic nanoferrites, it does require careful adjustment of the pH value of the
solution for particles formation. On the other hand, combustion synthesis
(glycine-nitrate process) offer many distinct advantages for synthesizing
magnesium ferrites as it produces high-surface-area with less reaction time,
compositionally homogeneous powder, usually with low levels of residual
carbon. These advantages are mainly due to the nature of the fuel-oxidant
combustion reaction, which is rapid, self-sustaining and exothermic in nature.
The surface area, size-distribution and agglomeration of the particles in
final product depend on the adiabatic flame temperature which in turn related to
nature of fuel as well as fuel to oxidant ratio (F/O). Adiabatic flame temperature
helps in crystallization and formation of desired phase of compound. However,
high adiabatic flame temperature adversely affects the particle characteristics
like increase in crystallite size and increased agglomerates. Very little work is
done to figure out the effect of F/O ratio on characteristics of product in terms of
thermodynamic considerations including adiabatic flame temperature and heat
absorbed by the products i. e. heat of reaction [10-12]. The fuel used in reaction

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Chapter 4 Synthesis of Mg- ferrite

should be able to maintain homogeneity among constituents and also undergo

combustion with oxidizer at low ignition temperature.
The choice of fuel and amount of fuel plays a crucial role in obtaining the
desired magnetic nanoparticles. The present chapter deals with the optimization
of combustion method for the synthesis of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles with desired
structural and magnetic properties. The amount fuel is varied and the effect of
glycine to nitrate ratio on powder characteristics of MgFe2O4 was studied in
detail in terms of thermodynamic considerations. The powder obtained was
characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and VSM. Adiabatic flame temperatures
were calculated theoretically for the combustion reactions for different G/N
ratios and systematically discussed.

4.2. Experimental
4.2.1. Synthesis of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles
Analytical grade Ferric nitrate nonahydrate Fe (NO3)3 9H2O, Magnesium
nitrate hexa hydrate Mg (NO3)2 6H2O were used as oxidants and glycine as a
fuel to accomplish the combustion reaction. All the reagents used were of high
degree purity.
In the present work, glycine (NH2CH2COOH) was used as a fuel because
it turns out to be a cost effective alternative to urea and citric acid. It has a
relatively negative heat of combustion (3.24 Kcal/g) as compared to urea
(2.98 Kcal/g) or citric acid (2.76 Kcal/g) [13]. The oxidation valences of
metal nitrates were balanced by reducing valences of the fuel so that equivalence
ratio was unity and energy released was maximum [14]. In a typical procedure
the stoichiometric amount of reactants were calculated as described above and
hand mixed in large beaker. The mixture was turned into the slurry due to
hygroscopic nature of metal nitrates. The beaker was then kept on hot plate
preheated to 300 C. During combustion, the spark was occurred at one corner
which spread over the mass resulting brown fluffy product that gets transformed
into powder by slightest touch. As the amount of glycine (fuel) plays an
important role in combustion synthesis; in present case, the glycine to nitrate

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Chapter 4 Synthesis of Mg- ferrite

ratio (G/N) was varied as 0.48, 0.74, 1.48, 2.22 and 2.56. This respectively
makes three combustion systems: fuel lean, fuel efficient and fuel rich wherein
G/N=1.48 represents stoichiometric ratio for combustion. The samples were
indexed as V1, V2, V3, V4 and V5 for G/N ratios 0.48, 0.74, 1.48, 2.22 and 2.56
respectively.

4.2.2. Characterizations
Thermal properties of precursor gel were recorded by the Trans-analytical
instrument (SDT 2960) operated in temperature 35 C to 1000 C with heating
rate of 10 C/min in flowing air ambiance to investigate the decomposition
behavior of nitrate and fuel mixture. All the samples were characterized by
Philips PW-3710 automated X- ray diffractometer equipped with crystal
monochromator employing Cr-K radiation of wavelength 2.28970 for
structural and phase identification. The crystallite size of the as-synthesized
product was estimated from the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the
strongest diffraction peak using the Scherrer formula given in equation 3.5. [15]
The particle shape, size and morphology were investigated by Scanning electron
microscope (JEOL JSM 6360) and Transmission Electron Microscope (Philips
CM 200 model, operating voltage 20-200 kV, resolution 2.4 ). Fourier
transform Infra Red spectrum was recorded with the help of Perkin-Elmer
spectrometer, (Model No. 783, USA) in the range of 400 to 2000 cm-1 to confirm
the formation of spinel phase and purity of the samples. Magnetization and
coercivity for all the samples was measured by vibrating sample magnetometer
(VSM) at room temperature [Lake Shore 7307].

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4.3. Results and Discussion

4.3.1. Thermodynamic analysis
4.3.1.1. Thermal analysis

a b

Figure 4.1. TG-DTA curve for stoichiometric precursors gel (a) and as
prepared MgFe2O4 nanoparticles
The simultaneous TG-DTA curves for stoichiometric precursor gel and as
prepared MgFe2O4 nanoparticles were recorded in temperature range of room
temperature to 1000 C in air ambiance (Figure 4.1a and 4.1b respectively). The
TG-DTA in Figure 4.1a consists of three stages corresponding to different
reaction mechanisms. TG shows a primary weight loss of about 30% below 194
C which is due to complete evaporation of water and organic contents in the
precursor gel. The sudden weight loss of 56% was observed between temperature
range of 194 C to 200 C which is attributed to rapid chemical reaction between
metal nitrates and glycine. This maximum weight loss occurs in narrow
temperature range which corresponds to decomposition step. The overall weight
loss of 86% for sample was observed which is in good agreement with
theoretically predicted weight loss of (84%).
The theoretical weight loss was calculated by using atomic weights of
reactants and products in combustion reaction. (Mg=24.31, N=14.01, O=15.99,
H=1.008, C=12.01, Fe=55.85 )

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The weight of reactants:

Mg(NO3)26H2O = WMg + 2 WN + 12 WO + 12WH
= 24.31 + 28.02 + 191.88 + 12.096
= 256.306
Fe (NO3)39H2O = WFe + 3 WN +18 WO+ 18 WH
= 55.85 + 42.03 + 287.82 + 18.144
= 403.84
CH2NH2COOH = 2 WC + 5 WH + 2WO + WN
= 24.02 + 5.04 + 31.98 + 14.01
= 75.05
Total weight of reaction mixture:
W[Mg(NO3)26H2O] + 2 W[Fe (NO3)39H2O] + 4.44 W[CH2NH2COOH]
= 256.306 + 2 x 403.84 + 4.44 x 75.05
= 1353.8916 g
Weight of product (MgFe2O4 powder):
= WMg + 2 WFe + 4 WO
= 24.31 + 111.7 + 36.96
= 199.97
Therefore the yield of combustion reaction can be predicted as:
Yield = (W product/ W reactant mixture) x 100
= (199.97 / 1343.8916) x 100
= 14.87 %
This amounts to the overall reaction yield of about 14%.
The sharp exothermic peak observed in DTA curve around 194 C was
attributed to ignition of precursors at this temperature. The acceleration of
reaction rate and lowering of ignition temperature results in combustion reaction
between metal nitrates and glycine.
On the other hand, TGDTA curve for as prepared sample does not show
any significant weight loss. Observed weight loss of about 6 % in case of as
prepared samples may correspond to the evaporation of physical adsorbed water
or uncombusted carboneous materials. The results show that combustion

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synthesis is able to produce stable and pure ferrite nanoparticles. These as

prepared nanoparticles are further used for characterization without any
subsequent heating treatment.

4.3.1.2. Thermodynamic considerations

As the nature of fuel and fuel to oxidizer ration plays an important role
in determining the structural and magnetic properties of prepared magnetic
materials, the thermodynamic analysis has been taken into consideration.
According to the principle of propellant chemistry, when stoichiometric amount
of fuel is mixed with metal nitrates then product of reaction consists of
environment friendly gases like H2O, N2 and CO2. The combustion reaction
between metal nitrates and glycine can be expressed as:

Mg (NO3 )2 6H 2 O +2 Fe (NO3 )3 9H 2O +4.44 CH 2 NH 2COOH + (9.99 -10) O 2

MgFe 2O4 + 8.88 CO 2 + (4 +2.22 ) N 2 + (24 + 11.1 ) H 2O (4.1)
where is molar ratio between glycine and nitrates. Here = 4.44/3=
1.48 is the stoichiometric ratio which implies that product can be formed directly
from the reaction without consuming external oxygen. Thus different values of
in above equation represent the different G/N ratios. The theoretical calculations
based on thermodynamic consideration such as enthalpy of reaction and flame
temperature helps in estimation of exact ignition condition and initiation of
combustion reaction. Enthalpy of reaction depends on the heat of formation of
products and reactants. The following equation is used to calculate the enthalpy
of reaction:
H 0 = ( n H of )products - ( n H of ) reactants (4.2)
where n is the number of moles, Hf is heat of formation and H is
enthalpy of reaction. The thermodynamic data for various reactants and products
involved in combustion is available in literature [11-13 and 16] and listed in
Table 4.1. The Enthalpy of reaction as a function of can be calculated by using
thermodynamic data (Table 4.1) and eq. 4.1 as follows:

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H 0 = 464.23 + (-1122.72) (25C, kcal) (4.3)

The heat absorbed by product during combustion reaction can be
theoretically approximated as:
Tad
Q= -H0 = ( n cp ) dT (4.4)
298 products

Eq. 4.4 can be modified to calculate adiabatic flame temperature (Tad) as follows,
Q
T =T+ (4.5)
ad Cp
where Q is the heat absorbed by products under adiabatic condition, T is the
reference temperature (T= 298 K) and Cp is the heat capacity of the products at
constant pressure.
Table 4.1. Thermodynamic data required for calculation of adiabatic flame
temperature [11-13 and 15]
Compound Heat of formation a Heat capacitiesa
Hf (kcal/mol) cp (cal/mol K)
Fe(NO3)3 9H2O (s) -785.2 -
Mg(NO3)2 6H2O (s) -624.48 -
CH2NH2COOH (s) -79.71 -
H2O (g) -57.79 7.2+0.0036T
CO2 (g) -94.05 10.34+0.00274T
N2(g) 0 6.5+0.001T
O2 (g) 0 5.92+0.00367T
MgFe2O4 (s) -343.69 34.16
a
all values considered at ambient temperature T=25C

Using data from Table 4.1, eq. 4.1, eq. 4.4 and eq. 4.5; the adiabatic flame
temperatures and heat absorbed by products for various G/N ratios were
calculated and tabulated in Table 4.2. As expected, the values of theoretically
calculated Tad and heat absorbed by product are increase with increase in amount
of glycine. The reaction temperature and Tad increases with increase in G/N ratio.
However beyond the optimum value of temperature, the decrease in reaction
temperature with further increase in G/N ratio is observed attributed to the
amount of gases released during reaction which may dissipates heat. This gives

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rise to lower values of reaction temperature than that of theoretically calculated

Tad.
Table 4.2. Variation of Adiabatic flame temperature (Tad), heat absorbed (Q) by
product and number of moles of gases evolved during combustion at different
G/N ratio

Sample G/N Q (kcal/mol) Tad (K) Number of

moles of gases
evolved
V1 0.48 -94.18 11 35.32
V2 0.74 97.13 565 39.1

V3 1.48 658.49 1711.34 50.2

V4 2.22 1219.85 2442.15 61.3
V5 2.96 1781.21 2948.89 72.4

4.3.2. Structural analysis

4.3.2.1. X-ray diffraction
.
.

Figure 4.2. XRD patterns of samples V1, V2, V3, V4 and V5 using different
G/N ratio: 0.48, 0.74, 1.48, 2.22 and 2.96

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Figure 4.2 exhibits, X- ray diffraction patterns of MgFe2O4 powder prepared by

combustion method at various G/N ratios. The diffraction peaks corresponding to
planes (220), (111), (311), (400), (422) and (511) were well matched with
JCPDS card No. 36-0398 which confirms the formation of pure MgFe2O4 phase
with space group fd3m
The variation of crystallite size (D) and X-ray density (dxrd) with different
G/N ratio are shown in Figure 4.3. From figure, it is seen that the crystallite size
decreases with increasing G/N ratio, attains minimum value at sample V3 and
then slightly increases. It is also interesting to note that the intensity of Bragg
peak is also minimum for stoichiometric sample corresponding to smaller
crystallite size of sample compared to other variations.

Figure 4.3. Variation of crystallite size and X-ray density with G/ N ratio
Figure 4.3 indicates a small dependence of crystallite size on the synthesis
conditions such as adiabatic flame temperature, number of mole of gases escaped
during combustion and enthalpy of reaction. The large amount of gases produced
during the combustion may carry heat from system and thereby hindering the
growth of particles. The properties observed for stoichoimetric condition are due
to dominant effect of number of gas molecules escaped over adiabatic flame
temperature. The dependence in values of crystallite size and lattice parameter

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with G/N ratios is probably due to competition between adiabatic flame

temperature and number of gases evolved during synthesis [10].

4.3.2.2. FT-IR
The formation of the spinel phase in the nanocrystalline MgFe2O4 samples
is supported by FT-IR spectra. The FT-IR spectra for variable G/N ratios were
recorded in the range 400 to 2000 cm-1 (Figure 4.4.). The absorption bands
appeared at ~450 cm-1 and ~565 cm-1 corresponding to stretching vibration of
metal-oxygen bonds at tetrahedral and octahedral sites respectively are observed
in case of spinel ferrites. The band observed at 1638 cm-1is due to N-O stretching
and the intensity of band is found to increase with increase in the G/N ratio.

Figure 4.4. FT-IR spectra of V1, V2, V3, V4 and V5 samples at different G/N
ratios: 0.48, 0.74, 1.48, 2.22 and 2.96 respectively
From Figure 4.5, the shift in values of absorption bands from lower
wavenumber (559 cm-1) to higher wavenumber (567 cm-1) with increasing G/N
ratio can be attributed to shifting of Fe3+ and Mg2+ ions towards oxygen ion on
occupation of tetrahedral and octahedral sites, which decreases the Fe3+-O2- and

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Mg2+-O2- distances [16]. On the basis of this data it can be suggested that the
MgFe2O4 spinel phase is formed with cation distribution,
3+
(Fe1-x Mg x2+ )A [Mg 1-x
2+ 3+
Fe1+ x ]B O
2-

where x is inversion parameter while A and B are tetrahedral and

octahedral places in spinel structure respectively. The inversion parameter is
equal to 0 for inverse spinel and is 1 when structure is normal spinel. The
observed values illustrates that the frequency band appeared at ~560 cm-1 and
~450cm -1 are responsible for the formation of spinel MgFe2O4 [17]. The
remarkable increase in the intensity and area of investigated bands with increase
in G/N ratio suggests the enhancement in MgFe2O4 production.

Figure 4.5. Variation of octahedral wavenumber with glycine to nitrate

ratio

4.3.2.2. SAED pattern

The presence of ring pattern in selected area electron diffraction (SAED)

pattern assures the formation of polycrystalline MgFe2O4 (Figure 4.6). From
figure exhibits strong diffraction rings which supports the formation of pure and
highly crystalline MgFe2O4 nanoparticle by low temperature combustion method.

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The rings are consistent with Braggs diffraction peaks in XRD pattern and are
indexed accordingly.

Figure 4.6. Selective Area Electron Diffraction pattern for stoichiometric

sample (V3)

4.3.3. Microstructural analysis

4.3.3.1. SEM
The SEM images of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles with different G/N ratio are
shown in Figure 4.7. Obtained images show remarkable change in the
microstructure regarding porosity, grain size of samples. This shows the
dependence of microstructure on different reactant composition [16]. From
figure 4.7a and b it can be concluded that lower G/N ratio favors frothy and
small holes within structure, which may be due to escaping large number of
gases during the combustion. While for intermediate G/N ratio, small spherulitic
porous structure dominates.
For higher G/N ratio, (Figure 4.7d and e) foamy agglomerated particles
with a wide distribution and larger voids in their structure are observed. It can be
seen from figure that all samples exhibit larger grains in the range of 200-500 nm
and having a network with voids and pores. The porosity in all cases is found to
be entirely intergrannular. The formation of pores is attributed to the release of

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large amount of gases during combustion process. The formation of multigrain

agglomerates observed in all samples consists of very fine crystallites as they
show strong tendency to form agglomerates [18]. The appearance of spongy
structure with increasing G/N ratio was attested a better crystallinity of spinel
phase.

a b

c d

Figure 4.7. SEM images of [a] V1, [b] V2, [c] V3, [d] V4 and [e] V5 using
different G/N ratios: 0.48, 0.74, 1.48, 2.22 and 2.96 respectively

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The minimum amount of fuel used in the case of the fuel-lean results in a
small enthalpy and hence the local temperature of the particles remains low,
which may prevent the formation of a dense structure. Associated gas evolution
results in highly porous structure, i.e., as the amount of gas increases
agglomerates are more likely to break up and more porosity will be observed as
in case of higher G/N ratio. Figure 4.8 shows the TEM image recorded for the
stoichiometric sample V3 which revealed the particle size of MgFe2O4 powder in
the range of 20 to 40 nm.

Figure 4.8. TEM image for stoichiometric MgFe2O4 NPs

4.3.4. Magnetic properties

4.3.4.1. M-H loop analysis
The specific magnetization curves of the investigated samples, obtained
from room temperature VSM measurements are shown in Figure 4.9. These
curves are typical for a soft magnetic material and indicate hysteresis loops [9].
From these measurements magnetization (Ms), Remenance (Mr) and coercivity
(Hc) are derived and listed in Table 4.3. It can be seen that the magnetization of
sample V5 is much smaller as compared to other samples. This is attributed to its
poor crystallization and relatively small grain size at fuel rich combustion.

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Sample V1 has an average grain size of about 40 nm and magnetization

about19emu/g at room temperature. The magnetization of stoichiometric sample
V3 is about 31.56 emu/g which is close to that of bulk MgFe2O4 material
(approximately 30 emu/ g) [19]. It should also be noted that the Mr value is also
maximum for stoichiometric MgFe2O4. From figure it is clear that the
magnetization, remanance and coercivity increases with increase in G/N ratio
attains maximum at stoichiometric condition then decrease further for higher
glycine amount. The change in the magnetic properties may be attributed to the
low crystalline anisotropy, which arises from crystal imperfection and the high
degree of aggregation. G/N ratio strongly influences, the maximum reaction
temperature Tm: when (thus G/N) increases, Tm first increases until (=1)
stoichiometric condition is reached and then decreased in fuel-rich conditions
because large amounts of gases (CO2, H2O, N2) are released which dissipates the
heat of the process [19].

Figure 4. 9. M-H measurements at room temperature for V1, V2, V3, V4 and V5
at different G/N ratios: 0.48, 0.74, 1.48, 2.22 and 2.96 respectively

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As a consequence, for the highest G/N values, the released energy was not
sufficient to burn all the organic matter which in turn affects the magnetic
properties of MgFe2O4. Also it has been proved that combustion method is able
to induce the redistribution of cations along A and B sites. The variations in
magnetic properties can also be attributed to the change in the distribution of
Mg2+ and Fe3+ ions at A and B site of the spinel structure with increase in G/N
ratio and surface structure disorder [3, 15].
Table 4.3 Effect of variation in G/N ratio on Magnetization (Ms), Coercivity (Hc) and
Remenance (Mr) of MgFe2O4

Sample G/N Ms(emu/g) Hc (Oe) Mr

ID ratio (emu/g)
V1 0.48 19.33 119.07 4.03
V2 0.74 27.29 93.26 4.02
V3 1.48 31.56 182 9.60
V4 2.22 21.14 110.68 3.69
V5 2.96 17.25 103.25 3.10

4.3.4.2. M-T measurements

The optimized sample stoichiometric MgFe2O4 is further subjected to
temperature dependant magnetization characterizations. The M-H curve of
MgFe2O4 nanoparticles is measured at 300 K and 10 K in order to investigate the
effect of temperature on magnetic properties like magnetization and coercivity
[Figure 4.10]. The magnetization is recorded under the applied of about 15kOe.
The saturation magnetisation of the bulk MgFe2O4 was found to be 33.6 emu/g at
300 K. It is interesting to note that the combustion process leads to increase the
saturation magnetization.
The result indicates that the magnetization of sample is increased by 24 %.
The samples have Ms of 33.83 emu/g at room temperature which increases up to
41 emu/g when temperature is reduced to 10 K. Similarly the Hc of sample
increases from 90 Oe to 127 Oe with decreasing temperature from RT to 10 K.

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Such increase in magnetic properties with decrease in the temperature was found
in many reports and may be attributed to the surface effects. The effect of
increasing the temperature above room temperature was studied by Franco et al
[22]. The magnetization decreases with increasing temperature approaching zero
at ~750 K. The Curie temperature determined by means of the inverse
susceptibility versus temperature was ~738 K. In there case, coercivity and
remanence decreased with increasing temperature. It should be emphasised that
the magnetisation for the MgFe2O4 does not saturate at the maximum field
attainable. Another feature observed from the field cooled hysteresis loop
measurements at 10 K is that the loop of milled sample is not symmetrical about
the origin but is shifted to the left (the shift HC is about 5 kA/m). The
nonsaturating magnetisation and shift of the hysteresis loop are typical features
of the canted magnetic structures [23].

(a) (b)
Figure 4.10 M-H curve at 300 K and 10 K at field of 15 kOe (a) and FC-ZFC
curve from 4 K to 400 K (b) at field of 500 Oe

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It is seen that combustion process enhances the magnetic hardness of the

ferrite. At 10 K, the coercive field increased from 90 Oe to about 127 Oe for the
combusted material. The higher coercivity of the combusted sample is because of
the smaller crystallite size, increase in the grain boundary volume, and the
structural disorder (cation redistribution) introduced by milling. The increase of
the surface anisotropy of small crystallites also contributes to the increase in
coercivity. Similarly, at 300 K, the higher coercive field of combusted material
in comparison with that of bulk MgFe2O4 could mainly be accounted for by the
different cation distribution and spin arrangement observed in combusted and
bulk samples. Higher magnetocrystalline anisotropy, surface anisotropy and
shape anisotropy may all contribute to such a high coercivity of ultrafine
particles. Similar enhancement of the coercivity has also been reported for
nanocrystalline NiFe2O4 [24]. The smaller coercive field observed in the
combusted MgFe2O4 sample at 300 K in comparison with that observed at 10 K
could be explained by the fact that sample contains a crystallite size distribution
which is broad. The FC-ZFC measurements show that materials have their
blocking temperature above 400 K.
The results shows that presence of ferrimagnetism in combustion synthesized
MgFe2O4 may contribute to heat loss through hysteresis losses. Therefore these
optimized magnetic nanoparticles can be used for induction heating studies.

4.4. Conclusion
The nanocrystalline MgFe2O4 powder with average particle size of around
40 nm was successfully prepared by glycine nitrate synthesis with different G/N
ratios. Thermodynamic considerations show that calculated values of heat
absorbed by product, number of moles of gases evolved and adiabatic flame
temperature increase with increase in G/N ratio. XRD result reveals that amount
of glycine has no significant effect on formation of single phase MgFe2O4
powder and fuel lean condition also leads to proper MgFe2O4 phase formation.
Slight variation in crystallite size and lattice parameter with different G/N ratios
may be attributed to competition between adiabatic flame temperature and

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number of gases evolved. From FT-IR analysis, the spinel structure, purity and
formation of MgFe2O4 was confirmed. Transmission electron microscopy image
shows the formation of MgFe2O4 nanocrystals with average particle size of about
~40 nm which is in good agreement with the particle size calculated from XRD
analysis. The distribution of nanoparticles is quite broad in combustion method.
The microstructural analysis of products with different G/N ratio shows very
pronounced effect on microstructure which is attributed to the effect of adiabatic
flame temperature and number of moles of gases evolved during combustion.
The magnetization for sample increases with increase in G/N ratio attains
maximum value at stoichiometric condition and then decreases with further
increase in G/N ratio. Thus glycine-nitrate process can be explored to obtain high
quality pure and homogeneous MgFe2O4 without subsequent heating treatment.
Though the amount of fuel affects the particulate characteristics, we have
obtained superior properties of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles at stoichiometric
condition. Therefore we optimized the ratio of glycine to fuel to stoichiometric in
further combustion synthesis of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles. The temperature
dependant magnetic properties of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles suggest that these
nanoparticles can be a good candidate for magnetic induction heating.

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