CeO2/NiTiO3 nanocomposites; synthesis, photoluminescence and magnetic behavior

Pure phase NiTiO3 was obtained via a modified sol-gel method. Addition of CeO2 in a modified oxidizing atmosphere in stearic acid at 750 degrees C led to the growth of several nanoscaled Ce-rich phases. The formation of NiTiO3 and CeO2/NiTiO3 was strongly confirmed based on metal-oxygen and metal-metal absorption bands. The nanometric formation of crystals and narrow distribution of nanoparticles were confirmed by XRD and FE-SEM. The magnetic properties indicated weak ferromagnetic behavior of NiTiO3 and paramagnetic behavior of CeO2/NiTiO3 nanocomposites. The paramagnetic properties were improved gradually into superparamagnetic upon increasing CeO2 domain to 30 mol%. It was observed that the current density can achieve 1 x 10(-9) A/cm(2) for the sample containing 30 mol% CeO2 at an electrical field equal to 40 V/cm.