Room temperature magnetic ordering, enhanced magnetization and exchange bias of GdMnO3 nanoparticles in (GdMnO3)0.70(CoFe2O4)0.30

Nanoparticles of GdMnO3 (GMO) are prepared by sol-gel method. To enhance the magnetic property and also to obtain the magnetic ordering at room temperature (RT), nanoparticles of GMO are incorporated in the matrix of CoFe2O4 (CFO). Desired crystallographic phases of CFO, GMO and GMO-CFO are confirmed by analyzing X-ray diffractrograms (XRD) using Rietveld method. The average size of nanoparticles and their distribution, crystallographic phase, nanocrystallinity etc. are studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). Magnetic hysteresis loops (M-H) of GMO-CFO under zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) conditions are observed at different temperatures down to 5 K. Magnetization vs. temperature (M-T) under ZFC and FC conditions are also recorded. Interestingly, exchange bias (EB) is found at low temperature which suggests the encapsulation of the ferromagnetic (FM) nanoparticles of GMO by the ferrimagnetic nanoparticles of CFO below ~100 K. Enhanced magnetization, EB effect and RT magnetic ordering of GMO-CFO would be interesting for both theoretical and experimental investigations.