Structural, optical and magnetic susceptibility of Ba(Zr1-xNix)O3 perovskite nanostructures prepared by sol–gel pechini technique

This paper reports the synthesis of Ba(Zr_1-xNi_x)O₃ nanostructures by sol–gel Pechini technique. The XRD result revealed a polycrystalline cubic crystal structure at 800 °C. The crystal size ranged from 28 to 50 and 28 to 44 nm according to Scherer and Williamson-Hall methods, respectively. The microstructure, dislocation density and lattice strain decreased across the doping concentrations, while the unit cell volume increased from pristine to doped nanoparticles with a decrease in porosity. Surface morphology showed a combination of cube-like and rod-like structures, with the grain size decreasing with increasing Ni doping. FTIR results depicted a vibration band at 648 cm⁻¹, corresponding to metal–oxygen bond for O–Zr–O indicating the formation of the oxide perovskite. The optical energy band gap increased from 5.65 to 5.73 eV with rising Ni doping. The magnetic properties exhibited Pauli diamagnetism at room temperature, and decreased monotonically with increased Ni content.