Investigation of crystal structure, photoluminescence, and Raman studies of Sm-Co substituted Ba-Sr M-type hexaferrites

Sol-gel auto-combustion process was used to synthesize M-type hexagonal ferrite powder samples with the chemical formula Ba0.3Sr0.7-xCoxFe12-ySmyO19 (x = 0-0.5, y = 0-0.05). The samples were examined using the Xray diffraction technique (XRD), Raman, and photoluminescence spectroscopies. M-type phase with a hexagonal structure was obtained along with the single peak of the impurity phase (& alpha;-Fe2O3). The samples' lattice parameters, crystallite size, volume, X-ray density, bulk density, porosity, dislocation density, and micro strain were also calculated from XRD data. Raman spectroscopy detected all the associated vibrational and rotational modes in the samples. Changes in Raman spectra versus levels of substitution of Sm and Co concentrations are linked to the variation of strain in the unit cell. All emissions were visible (red) in the Photoluminescence (PL) spectra, which had a wavelength close to 661 nm. The materials are semiconducting with bandgap energy Eg = 1.875 eV. The results show the samples are beneficial for microwave and high-frequency applications.

Automated summary

The sol-gel auto-combustion process was used to synthesize M-type hexagonal ferrite powder samples with the chemical formula Ba0.3Sr0.7-xCoxFe12-ySmyO19 (x = 0-0.5, y = 0-0.05). The samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), Raman, and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The results showed that the samples possessed a hexagonal structure and had the impurity phase alpha-Fe2O3. The samples demonstrated semiconductor properties with a bandgap energy of 1.875 eV and were found to be suitable for microwave and high-frequency applications.