Investigation of the electronic structure of YFeO3 and Y(HoFe)O3 using X-ray photoelectron and Mossbauer spectroscopy

The solution combustion process is used to synthesize powdered HoFeO3 and Ho0.2Y0.8FeO3. X-ray diffraction was used to evaluate powders for their crystallinity and structure, and the results showed that the samples displayed both orthorhombic and minor hexagonal structures. Micrographs taken with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) show that the morphology of the materials is consistent with porous objects. Utilizing FTIR spectra, we analyzed the expanded vibration band. X-ray spectroscopy (XPS) confirms that holmium, iron, and yttrium are all trivalent elements. The X-ray photoelectron spectra of samples with the correct chemical formula HoFeO3 are Fe2p, Ho4d, Ho4f, and O1s. The Y3d5/2,3/2-X-ray photoelectron spectra were obtained from the surface of a Ho0.2Y0.8FeO3. sample. It is this chemical that changes the elemental composition of the O1s spectrum to 100% and boosts its integral intensity. About 10 times less HoFeO3 molecules may be found in the Ho0.2Y0.8FeO3 sample. Spectral elements are ascribed to the valence states of yttrium, iron, and holmium (Y3d, Fe3d, and Ho4f, in that order). The Mossbauer spectra of YFeO3 were recorded at temperatures ranging from 14 to 720 K. At 720 K, the spectra of both materials exhibit paramagnetic doublets with similar properties. At room temperature, the spectra of both samples can be broken down into magnetically distinct sextets (14 K). Components of Ho0.2Y0.8FeO3., D1, D2, S1, and S2 all exhibit linear temperature-dependent increase and saturation as T approaches 100 K. Ho0.2Y0.8FeO3 exhibits a temperature-dependent shift in its D2 and S2 components, from 0.410 to 0.450 mm/s at about 30 K. Similar to the YFeO3 sextet, there is a peculiarity close to 150 K. One possible explanation for this anomaly is a shift in the electric field's gradient caused by a change in the electronic structure. Therefore, the Curie temperature and the temperature of the spin reorientation transition both rise when Y3+ ions partially replace Ho3 + ions.

Automated summary

The solution combustion process was used to synthesize powdered HoFeO3 and Ho0.2Y0.8FeO3. The structure and morphology of the samples were evaluated using various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray spectroscopy and FTIR spectra were utilized to analyze the chemical composition and vibrational properties of the materials. The magnetic properties of Ho0.2Y0.8FeO3 were also investigated using Mossbauer spectroscopy.