Interferometric Sensors Based on Spinel Ferrites AB2O4 Doped with Nd3+and Ce3+

In recent years, our group has developed a patented proteic sol-gel method for synthesizing spinel-type ferrites [1,2], using gelatin as an organic precursor [3]. This route offers rapid processing, low cost, environmental sustainability, and allows precise control over nanoparticle size. To enhance thermal treatment, we designed a rotary tube furnace [5], which improves homogeneity and phase purity. Our central hypothesis is that the proteic sol-gel method promotes specific cation distributions and inversion degrees in CoFe2O4 ferrites doped with Nd3+ and Ce3+, which directly affect their structural and magnetic properties. These dopants were selected due to their distinct ionic radii, electronic configurations, and magnetic moments, which influence their occupancy of tetrahedral and octahedral sites in the spinel lattice. This comparison helps determine whether the effects are specific to each element or reflect broader rare-earth behavior. The study will examine samples with varying doping levels to identify trends and critical thresholds. No neutron diffraction studies have yet examined materials synthesized by this method. Thus, this proposal aims to address that gap, combining neutron diffraction and complementary techniques to better understand the structural and magnetic behavior of rare-earth-doped spinel ferrites produced via the proteic sol-gel method.