Formation of Y3Fe5O12 matrix including ε-phase Fe2O3 with the giant coercive field via optimized sol–gel method

Abstract

The effect of compression and heat treatment on the microstructural morphology and magnetic characteristics of the imperfectly crystallized yttrium–iron–garnet (Y3Fe5O12, YIG) matrix was observed by optimizing the sol–gel synthesis process. In particular, among the various temperatures when calcination was performed at 850 °C, we observed that an ε-phase Fe2O3 with a giant coercive field but low saturation magnetization was formed in the YIG matrix.