Structural,magnetic,and optical properties of perovskite-like SmFeO 3 nanoparticles obtained from the co-precipitation method

Abstract

Thermally stable perovskite-like SmFeO₃ powders were obtained by the co-precipitation method using (NH₄)₂CO₃ as a precipitating agent; their physicochemical, optical, and magnetic properties were characterized to preliminary evaluate their potential applications. It was found that a well-crystallized pure-phase SmFeO₃ will be obtained when the calcination temperature (t_c) reaches 850°C. The average size of SmFeO₃ crystallites was about 45, 55, and 64 nm for the SmFeO₃-750, -850, and -950 samples, respectively. The orthorhombic structure was distorted, as evidenced by the varied unit cell volume (from 233.35·10⁻³ to 233.07·10⁻³ nm³) and microstrain (from 2.02·10⁻³ to 0.009·10⁻³) in dependence on t_c (from 750 to 950°C), respectively. The synthesized SmFeO₃ samples exhibited paramagnetic properties, with the coercive field (H_c) in the range of 250–750 Oe. Moreover, the obtained materials have direct bandgap energies with values below 3.06 eV.