Rare Earth Gd3+-Substituted BiFeO3 Perovskite Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties

Rare earth Gd3+-substituted BiFeO3 nanoparticles’ chemical formula is Bi1-xGdxFeO3 (BGF) (0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1) multiferroic created using the citrate gel auto-combustion technique. The structural change from rhombohedral to orthorhombic is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, and a decrease in average particle size with an increase in Gd concentration has been observed. Morphology and elemental parentage in the sample were studied with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis. The FTIR spectroscopy measurement confirms the chemical bonds present in the sample. UV absorption spectroscopy showed a decrease in the optical band gap with doping concentration. Improved ferroelectric properties were observed with the polarization–electric field (P-E). With an increasing doping concentration, the saturation polarization (Pmax) and remanent polarization (Pr) increase. Low temperature and room temperature magnetic properties were studied to understand the magnetic Gd doping in BiFeO3. Generally, they are used in industrial applications like transformer cores, magnetic sensors, and chips.