Structure and magnetic properties of GdxY1−xFeO3 obtained by mechanosynthesis

Solid solutions of yttrium-gadolinium orthoferrites GdxY1−xFeO3 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1) were prepared by high-energy ball milling. The aim of this work was to study the influence of the synthesis parameters on the crystal structure and the magnetic behavior of these solid solutions. The precursors, Fe2O3, Y2O3 and Gd2O3, mixed in a stoichiometric ratio to obtain these orthoferrites, were milled for different times (up to 5 h). X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement were used to elucidate the phase transformation as a function of the milling time. Results showed the complete formation of orthoferrite with an orthorhombic structure (S.G. Pbnm) without any annealing after 5 h of milling for all of the compositions. The effect of the synthesis process and the x value on the crystal structure and the magnetic properties were also studied. All of the synthesized powders demonstrated weak ferromagnetic behavior. In particular, an increase in the maximum magnetization for all the compositions was found, with a maximum that reached 7.7 emu/g for Gd0.75Y0.25FeO3. For Gd0.5Y0.5FeO3, the magnetization decreases down to 2.1 emu/g. A small contamination of metallic Fe was confirmed through electron spin resonance experiments.