Synergistic effect of trivalent (Gd³⁺, Sm³⁺) and high-valent (Ti⁴⁺) co-doping on antiferromagnetic YFeO₃

Monophasic polycrystalline powders of Y_1- R Fe_1-(4/3) Ti O₃ (R = Sm, Gd; x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15; y = 0.05) were successfully synthesized via a low temperature solid-state synthesis route. The X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies indicate that all the calcined powders with R³⁺ (Gd³⁺, Sm³⁺) at Y³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ at Fe³⁺ sites were crystallized in an orthorhombic phase associated with a change in lattice parameters. The Williamson-Hall method employed to calculate the strain revealed that the strain increased with the increased concentration of dopants ((Gd³⁺, Sm³⁺) at Y³⁺) compared to an increase in the size of crystallites, corroborating the findings of SEM. Analysis of diffuse reflectance spectra indicated a drop in bandgap from 1.93 eV to 1.86 eV and 1.96 eV to 1.91 eV for Gd, Ti co-doping and Sm, Ti co-doping respectively, demonstrating the capacity of the synthesized powders to absorb visible light. Absorbance spectra also revealed the existence of mixed states of Fe³⁺ and Fe⁴⁺ which was corroborated by XPS studies. The magnetic hysteresis loop analysis at room temperature illustrated that with co-doping, there is a strong enhancement in magnetization as well as coercivity, suggesting a strong transition from anti-ferromagnetic behaviour to ferromagnetic behaviour. Pertaining to the greatly improved optical and magnetic properties with the addition of (Gd³⁺, Sm³⁺) at Y³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ at Fe³⁺ sites, these materials are anticipated to be of potential use in various applications.