Enhanced magnetic properties of low temperature sintered LiZnTi ferrite ceramic synthesized through adjusting microstructure

The regulation strategy of microstructure, either through promoting grain growth or by improving compactness, is highly effective to improve magnetic properties of low temperature sintered ferrite ceramics. Until now, many studies emphasized grain growth, which often leads to deterioration in uniformity. In this work, a dense Bi 2 O 3 -substituted LiZnTi (Li 0.43 Zn 0.27 Ti 0.13 Fe 2.167 Bi 0.003 O 4 ) ferrite with enhanced magnetic properties was obtained, using LBSCA (Li 2 O–B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 –CaO–Al 2 O 3 ) additives (x wt. %, x = 0.00–0.40). Interestingly, SEM images revealed that the appropriate LBSCA glass not only can promote grain growth and enhance compactness of the Bi 2 O 3 -modified LiZnTi ferrite, but also can suppress abnormal grain by facilitating grain boundary diffusion. Moreover, the relationships between microstructural changes and magnetic properties of the LiZnTi ferrite have been discussed in detail. Finally, a compact LiZnTi ferrite with high saturation flux density ( B s  = 319.2 mT), low coercivity ( H c  = 213 A/m) and high saturation magnetization ( σ s  = 69.5 emu/g) were synthesized when the 0.10  wt % LBSCA glasses were added and sintering temperature was ∼900 °C. Meanwhile, the ferrite samples modified with 0.20  wt % LBSCA glasses have uniform and compact grain (∼3.0 μm). Such a sintering strategy is expected to be a referential experience for other advanced ceramics.