Enhanced magnetic and dielectric properties of Gd doped BiFeO3: Er nanoparticles synthesized by sol-gel technique

Abstract Multiferroic BiFeO3 and Bi0.8-XGdXEr0.2FeO3 (X = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1 & 0.15) nanoparticles have been prepared by sol-gel technique. The effect of Gd content (in Gd/Er co-dopant) on the structural, magnetic, dielectric, and optical properties of the BiFeO3 materials has been studied. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed rhombohedral to orthorhombic phase transition of BiFeO3 when doped with Er or Er/Gd. All samples composed of aggregated spherical nanoparticles and the size of the particles is decreased with increasing the Gd content in Gd/Er co-doped BiFeO3 nanoparticles. Energy dispersive spectra confirm the presence of all the selective elements in synthesized samples and are in near stoichiometric ratio. The Fourier transform Infrared spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups of elements of synthesized nanoparticles only. Optical properties of the samples, as studied by UV–visible spectroscopy, showed the decreased optical band gap with increasing the Gd content in Bi0.8-XGdXEr0.2FeO3 nanoparticles. The Er/Gd co-doping in BiFeO3 had a significant effect on the magnetic properties and effectively reduced the leakage current. The simultaneous enrichment of magnetic and electric properties indicates the potential application of Bi0.8-XGdXEr0.2FeO3 (X = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1 & 0.15) nanoparticles in future multifunctional devices.