Synthesis and optical studies of GdCrO3 nanoparticles

Here we report for the first time, a detailed synthesis mechanism of GdCrO3 nanoparticles using a surfactant-less hydrothermal method. We also report a detailed study of their structural and optical properties. The selected area electron diffraction and powder X-ray diffraction studies of GdCrO3 nanoparticles show pure phase and excellent crystallinity with average particle size around 50-60 nm. The structural analysis indicates a distorted perovskite crystal structure with lattice parameter values of a = 5.3099 +/- A 0.0022, b = 5.51793 +/- A 0.00226, and c = 7.60426 +/- A 0.00315 . For the first time, we report the room temperature UV-vis, photoluminescence, FTIR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results and their detailed analysis for GdCrO3. These results provide optical signatures of the formation of GdCrO3 where both Gd3+ and Cr3+ play dominant role in different frequency regions.