Antiferromagnetic interactions in Er-doped SnO2 DMS nanoparticles

Abstract

Diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) nanoparticles of Sn1−x Er x O2 (x = 0.0, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.1) were prepared by sol–gel method. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed SnO2 rutile structure for all samples with no impurity peaks. The decrease in crystallite size with Er concentration was confirmed from TEM measurements (from 12 to 4 nm). The UV–Visible absorption spectra of Er-doped SnO2 nanoparticles showed blue shift in band gap compared to undoped SnO2. The electron spin resonance analysis of Er-doped SnO2 nanoparticles indicate Er3+ in a rutile lattice and also decrease in intensity with Er concentration above x = 0.02. Temperature-dependent magnetization studies and the inverse susceptibility curves indicated increased antiferromagnetic interaction with Er concentration.