Morpho-Structural, Electrical and Magnetic Behavior of Chemically Synthesized Multiferroic GdMnO₃ Ceramic.

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Ceramics Engineering

Background:

• Room temperature multiferroic materials are highly sought after for advanced technological applications.
• Gadolinium manganite (GdMnO₃) is a promising candidate due to its perovskite structure.
• Understanding the synthesis-structure-property relationships in GdMnO₃ is crucial for its practical use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize nanocrystalline Gadolinium manganite (GdMnO₃) ceramics.
• To investigate the structural, dielectric, and magnetic properties of the synthesized GMO.
• To confirm the presence of room-temperature ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in GMO.

Main Methods:

• Nanocrystalline GMO powder synthesized via a chemical route.
• Bulk GMO pellets sintered at 850 °C for 24 hours using a slow step sintering schedule.
• Characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), dielectric measurements, and magnetometry (ZFC/FC).

Main Results:

• Synthesized GMO ceramics exhibit a polycrystalline nature with an orthorhombic perovskite structure (Pbnm space group).
• FESEM micrographs show well-connected grains and significant porosity.
• A dielectric anomaly was observed at 338 K, a clear ferroelectric hysteresis loop at room temperature, and a high room-temperature dielectric constant (~2736 at 100 Hz).
• Antiferromagnetic behavior was observed around 12 K (ZFC/FC magnetizations), with weak ferromagnetic behavior detected at 3 K.

Conclusions:

• The synthesis method successfully produced Gadolinium manganite (GdMnO₃) ceramics with desired structural characteristics.
• The observed ferroelectric hysteresis loop and high dielectric constant confirm room-temperature ferroelectricity in GMO.
• The material exhibits both antiferromagnetic and weak ferromagnetic properties at low temperatures, highlighting its multiferroic potential.