Structural, Elastic, Refractive Index and Energy Band Gap Properties of Li_0.5Co_0.5FeCrO₄ Ferrite for Non-Linear Optical and Optoelectronic Applications

This work examines the structural, elastic, and optical properties of the Li0.5Co0.5FeCrO4 spinel ferrite. Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction measurement confirms its cubic spinel structure. The structural investigation reveals strong consistency among calculated and refined parameters, validating the proposed cation distribution. Elastic moduli, including bulk, longitudinal, and rigidity moduli, were acquired by computing stiffness constants. Absorbance data and the Tauc method indicated a direct optical transition with a low band-gap energy, suggesting the sample's potential for optoelectronic applications. The Li0.5Co0.5FeCrO4 spinel showed absolutely low Urbach energy, suggesting little disorder and defects within its structure. The theoretical optical characteristics like reflection loss (RL), polaron radius (Rp), molar refractive index (Rm), molar electronic polarizability (αm), and the non-linear optical features were examined for our compound. Our findings indicate that the Li0.5Co0.5FeCrO4 compound outperforms the undoped Li0.5Fe2.5O4 compound , featuring a lower band gap. This implies that adding Co and Cr into Li0.5Fe2.5O4 ferrite enhances their optical and optoelectronic applications.