Metal-doped magnetite thin films

This paper investigates magnetite (Fe3O4) thin film containing a small amount of a metal element. The films are prepared by rf sputtering with a composite target of ceramic iron oxide with metal chips. Low-temperature magnetization of magnetite containing 5.3%Ge reveals that the film contains some magnetically weak coupling grains. The metal element Mg reduces both hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) and magnetite, resulting in single-phase wüstite (Fe1-xO). In contrast, adding Ge selectively reduces hematite, while magnetite remains unreactive. According to the free energy of reaction, the element Ge is able to reduce hematite only, whereas the element Mg is capable of reducing both hematite and magnetite. This property is in good agreement with the experiment results.