Effects of Nd, Er Doping on the Structure and Magnetic Properties of YFeO3

Nd, Er co-doped YFeO3 compounds were synthesized by sol-gel method. The prepared compounds were characterized by powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) integrated in a physical property measurement system (PPMS-9), respectively. The results show that the compounds possess orthorhombic perovskite structure. The Y0.5Er0.1Nd0.4FeO3 compound mainly consists of five elements (Er, Nd, Y, Fe, and O) and atom ratio matched well with the formula. With the increase of Nd3+ doping content in Y0.5Er0.5-xNd (x) FeO3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4), the coercivity increases gradually while the saturation magnetization and remanent magnetization decrease at the same time. Introducing Nd3+ and Er3+ ions into YFeO3 will make a change on a structure distortion, resulting in the decrease of the Fe-O-Fe angle and the consequent reduction of superexchange effect. From our research results, the relationship between the r (R (3+)) and the superexchange bond angle is different from pure-phase orthoferrites R FeO3.