Fraction of Rare-Earth (Sm/Nd)-Lanthanum Ferrite-Based Perovskite Ferroelectric and Magnetic Nanopowders

Multiferroic compound, especially LaFeO3-based perovskite nanopowders that exhibit robust simultaneous ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity, are widely investigated and applied in different applications. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization pertaining to fraction of rare-earth (Sm/Nd)-substituted lanthanum ferrite based perovskite nanopowders via solid-state technique. The multiferroic phenomenon is the fundamental approach to combine both the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties in a single system. Reduction in crystallite size, as well as some lattice distortion effects, are included to show the possibilities of tuning the lattice structure, electrical, optical as well as the magnetic properties which are closely connected to the ferroelectric behavior and magnetism. At room temperature, the ferroelectric behavior of La-0.9(Sm/Nd)(0.1)FeO3 exhibiting a P-E hysteresis loop became more and more pronounced, indicating the electrical leakage is greatly reduced. The canted antiferromagnetic hysteresis loop shows that the rare-earth (Sm/Nd) ion can significantly affect the magnetic parameters of the materials.