Crystal structure and magnetic property of Nd doped BiFeO3 nanocrytallites

Bi1-xNdxFeO3 (BNFOx, x = 0-0.15) nano-crystallites were successfully synthesised by solution combustion technique. Neodymium substitution has changed the rhombohedral symmetry of BiFeO3 to the triclinic and reduced the impurity phase. The average particle size found to vary from 74 to 26 nm when Nd concentration was increased from x=0 to 0.15. The change in the symmetry is also confirmed by Raman spectra of nanocrystallite samples. The value of remnant magnetization has improved due to the continuing collapse of the space-modulated spin structure of BNFOx. Long-range ferromagnetic ordering in BNFOx at room temperature was also confirmed from Mossbauer spectra. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.