Synthesis and weak ferromagnetism of Dy-doped BiFeO3 powders

Dy-doped BiFeO3 powders were synthesized by sol-gel auto-combustion method. X-ray diffraction of the powders were recorded and analyzed for the confirmation of crystal structure and the calculation of the lattice parameters. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to identify the oxidation state of Fe. Detailed studies of vibrating sample magnetometer indicated a significant effect of Dy doping on the magnetic properties of Bi1-xDyxFeO3 powders at room temperature. When x = 0.1, BDFO shows the best magnetic property. The origin of weak ferromagnetism was discussed in this paper. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.