Structural and magnetic properties of multiferroic hexagonal Lu0.5(Sc1-xInx)0.5 FeO3 ceramics

In this work, we have investigated the structural and magnetic properties of hexagonal Lu-0.5(Sc1xInx)(0.5)FeO3 ceramics synthesized by solid state reaction. All samples were identified to crystalize in the hexagonal structure with polar space group (P6(3)cm). The lattice parameters, both a and c, increase with In-substitution, owing to larger ionic radius of In3+ in comparison with that of Sc. Meanwhile, the c/a ratio increases from 1.9952 for x = 0 to 2.0308 for x = 1.0. All samples undergo an antiferromagnetic transition, accompanied by a dielectric anomaly, which is the fingerprint of magnetoelectric coupling in hexagonal LuFeO3 systems. The Neel temperature (T-N) shifts towards lower temperature with the increase of In-substitution, demonstrating the weakening magnetic interaction stemming from smaller structural distortion due to smaller tilting angle of FeO5 bipyramids. It is fascinating that the increase of c/a ratio brings about a decrease of T-N after the In-substitution for Sc. Another magnetic anomaly was observed above the T-N (around 265 K) in Lu0.5Sc0.5FeO3. The temperature of magnetic anomaly increases towards higher temperature with the increase of In-substitution and rises above room temperature in Lu0.5In0.5FeO3. It can be suggested that the magnetic order is more complex than that obtained in previous works, and the room-temperature multiferroics is attainable for application in hexagonal RFeO3 systems. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, we investigated the structural and magnetic properties of hexagonal Lu-0.5(Sc1xInx)(0.5)FeO3 ceramics synthesized by solid state reaction. With increasing In-substitution, the lattice parameters and c/a ratio increased, leading to higher magnetic anomaly temperatures. The results suggest a more complex magnetic order with potential for room temperature multiferroics in hexagonal RFeO3 systems.