Structural and magnetic properties of Bi_0.7Gd_0.3FeO₃ ceramics

摘要

The effect of Gadolinium (Gd) substitution on the structural and magnetic properties of BiFeO₃ is studied. Both BiFeO₃ and (Bi_0.7Gd_0.3)FeO₃ were synthesized in two steps: by high-energy ball milling of oxides for a total of 5 hours at 400 RPM and then sintering as-milled powders of BiFeO₃ at 700°C/24 hours and (Bi_0.7Gd_0.3)FeO₃ at 800°C /12 hours, to get the required phase. A structural transition is observed from rhombohedral (R3c) to orthorhombic (Pnma) as evident from the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) study. The orthorhombic structure of Gd-substituted sample is iso-structural with GdFeO₃. (Bi_0.7Gd_0.3)FeO₃ shows a soft ferromagnetic behaviour when compared to antiferromagnetic BiFeO₃ at room temperature.