Introduction of Room Temperature Ferromagnetism in Nanocrystalline Samarium Oxide by Doping of Co-ion

Abstract

To enhance the magnetic property as well as to get the magnetic ordering in Sm2O3 which is a good dielectric material, Co-ion is substituted by a chemical route. Rietveld analysis of x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the sample (Sm1.90Co0.10O3) suggests that all the dopants are properly substituted in the monoclinic lattice of Sm2O3. XRD analysis and Raman spectroscopic observation ruled out the segregation of Co-cluster or formation of any impurity in Sm1.90Co0.10O3. Magnetic susceptibility ( $$ \chi $$ ) of the sample measured in the range of 300–14 K by Faraday balance indicates the paramagnetic behavior down to 50 K, below which non-linear magnetic nature with ferromagnetic ordering is found. The onset of ferromagnetism in a doped dielectric host is investigated in detail by observing magnetization versus magnetic field (M–H) data and magnetization versus temperature (M–T) curves recorded under zero field cooled and field cooled conditions. All the data extracted from the magnetic measurements are analyzed to yield useful information of the newly developed diluted magnetic dielectric.