Effect of Yttrium Substitution on the Structural and Magnetic Properties of SmFeO3

Abstract

Polycrystalline samples of SmFeO3 (SFO) and Y0.5Sm 0.5FeO3 (YSFO 50 /50) are prepared by conventional solid state reaction method. Crystal structure refinement shows the decrease in the lattice parameter ‘a’ of the orthorhombic cell in SFO relative to that of (YSFO (YSFO 50 /50), which has been ascribed to the increasing FeO6 octahedral distortions and vast deviation from their non -rigidity. The Magnetic measurements on both the samples in the temperature range of 2-350K shows thermomagnetic irreversibility between the ZFC ZFC-FC curves for both the samples,, which can be ascribed to the formation of the nearly collinear magnetic state in the parent and the doped samples . These results indicate the pronounced effects of Sm 3+ ions in determining the structural and magnetic properties of these materials.