Synthesis and magnetic studies of nano-crystalline GdFeO3

Nano-crystalline GdFeO3 was synthesized by three different soft-chemical routes viz. hydrothermal, co-precipitation and combustion. The hydrothermal and co-precipitation methods resulted in amorphous powder which on further heating resulted in GdFeO3. The combustion method produced phase pure GdFeO3 in a single step. The particle size was in the range of 50-70 nm as calculated by Scherrer's formula. The transmission electron micrographs (TEM) showed the presence of fairly regular particles. Magnetic studies revealed a paramagnetic behavior. The magnetic susceptibility (in emu/g-Oe) of GdFeO3 samples as synthesized by hydrothermal. co-precipitation and combustion routes was found to be 9.6- 10(-5), 6.7 x 10(-5) and 4.4 x 10(-5) respectively. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.