Cation Distribution in Lithium Ferrite (LiFe5O8) Prepared via Aerosol Route

Nano size lithium ferrite was prepared through aerosol route and characterized using TEM, XRD, magnetic measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The particle size of as obtained samples were found to be ~10 nm through TEM, that increases upto ~80 nm on annealing at 1200 C. The unit cell parameter ‘a’ calculated using XRD, confirms the formation of α-LiFe5O8. Room temperature Mössbauer spectra of as obtained sample of all the ferrites exhibited broad doublet suggesting super paramagnetic nature. This doublet further resolved into two doublets and assigned to the surface region atoms and internal region atoms of the particles. The annealed samples (1200 C) show broad sextets, which were fitted with two sextets indicating different local environment of both tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Fe-cation. Cation distribution obtained from the X-ray, magnetic and Mössbauer data confirms that the three fifth of the iron atom goes in to the octahedral site.