Electron spin resonance investigation of the substitution of Fe3+ for Ti4+ ions in rutile TiO2 single crystal

Abstract

A Fe doped rutile TiO2 single crystal is grown in an O2 atmosphere by the floating zone technique. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra clearly demonstrate that Fe3+ ions are substituted for the Ti4+ ions in the rutile TiO2 matrix. Magnetization measurements reveal that the Fe:TiO2 crystal shows paramagnetic behaviour in a temperature range from 5 K to 350 K. The Fe3+ ions possess weak magnetic anisotropy with an easy axis along the c axis. The annealed Fe:TiO2 crystal shows spin-glass-like behaviours due to the aggregation of the ferromagnetic clusters.