Structural, morphological, and magnetic characterization of bulk and thin films Y3Al5-xFexO12 (YAIG): From the perspective of aqueous sol-gel processing

An aqueous sol-gel method was used for the preparation of bulk Y3Al5-xFexO12 (yttrium aluminum-iron garnet, YAIG) with the composition of x=0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and thin films with the composition of x=0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0. The dip-coating technique was used for the preparation of Y3Al5-xFexO12 films on a silicon (Si) substrate. The phase composition and surface morphology of both bulk and coatings were determined and compared. The synthesized powder samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The data provide evidence that some sol-gel-derived powder specimens consist of magnetically ordered component, while others show paramagnetic behavior depending on the composition of the product. It was also shown that sol-gel processing route could be successfully used for the preparation of mixed-metal YAIG thin films.