Investigation of Structural and Magnetic Properties of Multiferroic La1-Xyxfeo3perovskites, Prepared by Citrate Auto-Combustion Technique

Abstract

In this work, we studied the structural and magnetic properties of multiferroic La1-xYxFeO3 perovskites, (x= 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.25 and 0.3) which synthesized through Sol-gel auto-combustion technique using a citric acid as a fuel. The room temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the all the synthesized samples consisted of the polycrystalline orthorhombic structure perovskites(space group pnma), and tolerance factor confirmed the phase stability of the prepared perovskite system.The Williamson-Hall plot based on synchrotron XRD data were employed to estimate the average particle diameter and varies from 18 nmto 27.8 nm.For a deeper insight of the crystal structure, high resolution transmission microscopy imaging (HRTEM) was performed. The estimated values of crystallite size from HRTEM and synchrotron XRD data were coincident. Many of crystallographic parameters and electron density measurements were calculated by Rietveld refinement of synchrotron XRD data. La1-xYxFeO3 perovskite crystalsarecanted antiferromagnets with a weak ferromagnetism in room temperature.The magnetic properties were gotten through analyzing the magnetization versus temperature M(T) and M(H) hysteresis loop which characterized by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The molecular structure showed the decrease of the tilting of the octahedra <FeO6> with increasing Y content trying to strengthen the ferromagnetic character. Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) patterns of the investigated samples exhibited spotty ring patterns,confirming the polycrystalline character.The orthoferrite La1-xYxFeO3 crystalsare a promising candidate for optical device applications in broad temperature range and high power system.