Magnetic and dielectric properties of (Co, Zn) co-doped SnO₂ diluted magnetic semiconducting nanoparticles

The magnetic, dielectric and electrical properties of (Co, Zn) co-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles were investigated. The polycrystalline samples of (Co, Zn) co-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles were prepared using a co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction confirmed that the (Co, Zn) co-doped SnO₂ powder samples have the same tetragonal structure as pure SnO₂ nanoparticles. The magnetization measurements revealed that the Zn co-doped SnO₂ samples exhibit room temperature ferromagnetism. Magnetic hysteresis loops were observed at room temperature with high coercivity H _c of 85 Oe and remanent magnetization M _r of 0.412 memu/g for 1 wt% Zn co-doped sample. A decrease in the dielectric constant was observed with an increase in Zn doping content and frequency, at room temperature. It was found that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss values decrease, while AC electrical conductivity increases with increase in doping concentration and frequency. This study demonstrates that the (Co, Zn) co-doped SnO₂ materials can be used for applications in ultrahigh dielectric materials and spintronics.