Structural, Magnetic and Optical Properties of Gd and Co Co-Doped YFeO₃ Nanopowders

YFeO₃, YFe_0.95Co_0.05O₃, Y_0.95Gd_0.05FeO₃ and Y_1-xGd_xFe_0.95Co_0.05O₃ (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) nanopowders were successfully fabricated via a low-temperature solid-state reaction technique. Results obtained using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectra indicate that YFeO₃ nanopowders with Gd³⁺ and Co³⁺ ions co-doping at Y and Fe-sites were fabricated at 800 °C in sizes below 50 nm, and a distorted structure was obtained. Magnetic hysteresis loop analyses illustrate that ferromagnetic behavior of YFeO₃ nanopowders can be enhanced with the addition of Gd and Co. Whereas the maximum and remnant magnetization of the powders were found to be about 5.24 and 2.6 emu/g, respectively, the optical band gap was around 2.4 eV, proving that co-doped YFeO₃ nanopowders have a strong capability to absorb visible light. Because both magnetic and optical properties of these materials are greatly improved with the addition of Gd and Co, one can expect the scope of their potential application in the magnetic and optical fields to increase.