Intrinsic room-temperature ferromagnetism of V-doped TiO2 (B) nanotubes synthesized by the hydrothermal method

Nanotubes of TiO2(B) phase doped with 5 at.% of vanadium (V) have been synthesized by a hydrothermal method, followed by calcination at 300 °C in air and argon atmosphere, respectively. These nanotubes exhibit ferromagnetic character with clear hysteresis loop at room-temperature. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm that the ferromagnetic behavior is intrinsic to the material and not due to other phases and/or metallic clusters. The photoluminescence and hysteresis loop characteristics are found to be dependent on calcination conditions, and implicate the role of oxygen vacancies. Existence of higher oxygen vacancies in V-doped TiO2(B) nanotubes synthesized in argon than the air atmosphere is supported by the room-temperature photoluminescence spectra. The enhanced ferromagnetic behavior observed in V-doped TiO2(B) nanotubes synthesized in argon than the air atmosphere is explained in terms of bound magnetic polaron (BMP) model.

► The V-doped nanotubes have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method. ► PL spectra show that the argon calcined V-doped TiO2(B) contains more oxygen vacancies than the one calcined in air. ► RTFM observed in both air and argon calcined V-doped TiO2(B) nanotubes. ► Variation in Ms is correlated with the concentration of oxygen vacancies formation.