Nd Modified BiFeO 3 Perovskites: Investigations on their Structural, and Magnetic Properties

The present work focuses on the examination of the structural and magnetic characteristics of Bi1_-XNd_XFeO₃ (0≤x≤0.12) nanoparticles prepared using an efficient wet chemical method, Pechini's modified sol-gel route via auto combustion. BiFeO₃ (BFO) is a perovskite multiferroic material which is generally termed as ABO₃ where A is Bi or any Rare earth element and B is usually Fe³⁺ or Mn³⁺are looked with great hopes due to its wide possible potential applications such as data storage devices, sensors, Na⁺ion batteries, spintronics, and magnetoelectric devices. The BFO has sometimes termed a futuristic semiconductor material as a replacement for Silicon by the scientific community. The synthesis process of the nanoparticles involves obtaining the pristine single-phase Bismuth Ferrite (BFO) followed by Nd³⁺ substitutions at the Bisite to investigate the effects of Nd³⁺ doping in the perovskite system. Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) are performed in order to confirm the formation of single-phase materials with the desired crystal structure and phase purity. High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) reveals the formation of distorted rhombohedral structures of NPs with average particle sizes ranging between 18 nm to 50 nm. The magnetic properties are evaluated using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) to assess the influence of Nd³⁺ doping on the magnetic behavior of the nanoparticles. The experimental results demonstrate the significant impact of Nd³⁺ doping on the magnetic ordering and saturation magnetization of BiFeO₃. This research contributes valuable insights into the structural and magnetic properties of Nd-doped BFO nanoparticles, paving the way for the development of advanced magnetoelectric devices with enhanced magnetic functionality.