Site-substitution effect on skyrmion phases of Cd²⁺-Cu₂OSeO₃ nanocrystallites

The past decade has seen a significant uptick in research interest to study the materials that can host magnetic skyrmion lattices. The curiosity of such materials is mainly driven by the technological applications of emergent skyrmion lattices that manifest a whirlpool-like spins arrangement. Insulating Cu₂OSeO₃ reported to host magnetic skyrmion lattices below 60 K and considered as a potential candidate for exploring this new phase of materials. Here in this article, we propose a new synthesis process to grow the Cd²⁺-substituted Cu₂OSeO₃ nanocrystallites with variable sizes ranging over 50–200 nm. The proposed method consists of only a single-step heat treatment of 12 h, which is cost-effectivethan the routine solid-state process that requires a rigorous 15–20 days of heat treatment. By employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and isothermal magnetization (M-T) measurements, we present a comparative investigation of the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of pristine and Cd²⁺-substituted Cu₂OSeO₃ nanocrystallites. As non-magnetic substitution can alter the fundamental magnetic interactions, therefore, Cd²⁺-Cu₂OSeO₃ nanocrystallites offer a new methodology to control the magnetic skyrmion phases and its stability. (paper)