Effect of Zr-doping on the structure and magnetic properties of YMnO3 ceramics

Effect of zirconium substitution on the structure and magnetic properties of YMnO3 ceramics were widely studied and discussed in this work. The crystal structure of Y1 - xZrxMnO3 (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10) is hexagonal, and the lattice parameters reduce with the increase of doping amount. The average of grain size decreases from 0.403 mu m to 0.356 mu m as the Zr addition rises through SEM analysis. The magnetization of Y1 - xZrxMnO3 increases as Zr doping concentration increased, and the spin glass state appears in the sample with x = 0.1 The magnetization evolution should be attributed to the Mn4+ ions appeared when Zr was introduced to the Y sites of YMnO3. The increased Mn4+ ion which is related to the interstitial oxygen anions led to the reduced effective magnetic moment. The Zr substitution may also have an effect on the magnetic frustration factor.