MnZn ferrite precursor powders were prepared by the nano in situ composite method. Three surfactants, which include polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG-400), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), were usedM and the impact of the surfactants on the precursor sol solutions and precursor powders was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a Zeta potential meter, a BET surface analyzer, and a vibrational sample magnetometer (VSM) were used to characterize the precursor sol solutions and the precursor powders. The results showed that these surfactants can improve the dispersion state and Zeta potentials of sol particles and increase the specific surface areas of the precursor powders. Moreover, the precursor powders were composed of MnZn ferrite, and some were amorphous. CTAB was the optimum surfactant and the zeta potential of the sol particles and the specific surface area of the precursor powders named P-0.1CTAB are 10.7 mV and 129.07 m²/g, respectively. In addition, the nano-particles that were made up of the P-0.1CTAB precursor powders had smaller sizes and more uniform particle distributions than the others. The magnetic properties’ improvement was attributed to the addition of surfactants, and CTAB is the optimal type. In addition, the novel nano in situ composite method will inspire fresh thinking and investigation into the research of ferrite.

MnZn ferrite powders were prepared based on the novel nano in situ composite method and through chemical sol-spray drying–calcination technology. The precursor powders were calcined at 1060 °C at different calcination times (1–9 h) to research the influences of the calcination time on MnZn ferrite powders. The research results revealed that all samples had similar morphologies composed of fine particles. The pure MnZn ferrite spinel phase can only be obtained when the calcination time does not exceed 3 h. Otherwise, some α-Fe₂O₃ or γ-Fe₂O₃ impurities will appear. The particle size descended with an increasing calcination time and then ascended. After 3 h of preservation, the smallest particle size was obtained, and it exhibited a unimodal distribution. The saturation magnetization (M_s) increased at first and decreased later with an increasing calcination time, and the optimal value (53.4 emu/g) was reached after holding for 3 h. In view of this work, the optimal calcination time is 3 h.