The B-site ordering in RFe0.5Cr0.5O3 ceramics and its effect on magnetic properties

Abstract

Abstract To insight into the B-site ordering in RFe0.5Cr0.5O3 ceramics, a series of RFe0.5Cr0.5O3 ceramics (R = La, Y, Lu) were synthesized by the sol–gel method, and the structural and magnetic properties were systemically investigated. By using the Rietveld refinement of all samples, it is found that the structural distortion is increased as the R ionic radius decreases, leading to the weakened interactions between Fe/Cr ions. Moreover, the Fe and Cr are arranged in disorder in LaFe0.5Cr0.5O3, but partially ordered in YFe0.5Cr0.5O3 and LuFe0.5Cr0.5O3, showing an increasing trend of the proportion of ordered domains with the decrease of R ionic radius. Through fitting the temperature-dependent magnetizations, it is identified that the magnetization reversal (MR) in disorder LaFe0.5Cr0.5O3 is resulted from the competition between the moments of Cr and Fe sublattices. In the partially ordered YFe0.5Cr0.5O3 and LuFe0.5Cr0.5O3 ceramics, because of the presence of Fe–O–Cr networks in the ordered domains whose moment is antiparallel to that of Fe–O–Fe and Cr–O–Cr in the disordered domains, the compensation temperature T comp of MR is increased by nearly 50 K. These results suggest that the changing of R-site ions could be used very effectively to modify the Fe–O–Cr ordering, apart from the structural distortion, which has a direct effect on the magnetic exchange interactions in RFe0.5Cr0.5O3 ceramics. Then at values of composition where ordered domains are expected to be larger in number as compared to disordered domains and with a weaker structural distortion, one can expect a higher transition temperature T comp, providing a different view for adjustment of the magnetic properties of RFe0.5Cr0.5O3 ceramics for practical applications.