Structural and magnetic properties of gadolinium modified BiFeO₃

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of the Bi_0:94Gd_0:06FeO₃ sample obtained by solid state reaction method. The structural and morphological analysis was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Rietveld refinement analysis, confirming the obtaining of a rhombohedral crystalline phase and R3c space group (a = b = 5.577 Å and c = 13.847 Å), with an interconnected structure. Studies by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed trivalent oxidation states of Bi, Fe and Gd ions. The synthesized sample exhibited a non-linear M–H loop indicating a weak ferromagnetic behavior with a remnant magnetization of 6.34 emu˙mol⁻¹ and a coercive field of 295 Oe. The obtained structural and magnetic characteristics make these materials of great interest as multiferroic components.