Structural and Magnetic Properties of Fe-Doped Mn2O3 Orthorhombic Bixbyite

There is renewed interest in non-perovskite AB O3-type compounds owing to various functional properties such as catalysts, cathode material, and luminescence. The bixbyite compounds have been the subject of intense study in the recent literature owing to their fascinating structural and magnetic properties. In the present work, we have prepared a Fe-doped Mn2O3 bixbyite compound by a mechanochemical synthesis method and studied structural and magnetic properties. The compound is found to be orthorhombic at room temperature and exhibits two antiferromagnetic transitions at 80 and 30 K. Signatures of strong magnetic frustration coexisting with the long-range magnetic order are observed in this sample from the magnetization measurements. The results of our preliminary studies are presented here in light of the current interest in search for novel physical properties in non-perovskite AB O3 compounds.