Enhanced magnetization with unusual low temperature magnetic ordering behaviour and spin reorientation in holmium-modified multiferroic BiFeO₃ perovskite ceramics

Holmium-doped Bi_1−xHo_xFeO₃ (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.10) perovskite ceramics were synthesized by a rapid liquid phase quenching process. The structural analysis performed using x-ray diffraction suggested phase formation with distorted rhombohedral structure in all the synthesized ceramic samples. Rietveld analysis of x-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectroscopy also confirmed the distorted perovskite structure with R3c symmetry. Optical studies showed characteristic bending vibrations of O − Fe − O, Fe − O stretching and visible range PL emissions in modified BiFeO₃ ceramics. Ferromagnetic characteristics were shown by all the holmium-doped samples at room temperature and 5 K. Very high saturation magnetization (at 7 T), four to six times higher at 5 K than at 300 K, is observed for holmium-doped ceramic samples. A complex temperature dependence of magnetization behaviour is observed for holmium-doped samples, which is indicative of a spin reorientation in doped ceramics. (paper)