Role of coupling divalent cations on the physical properties of SmFeO3 prepared by citrate auto-combustion technique

Controlling the magnetic properties of a material has great importance for variety of potential applications. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron micrographs (HRTEM) analysis are utilized to study the effect of Sr2+ substitution on the physical properties of the investigated samples. The estimated crystallite sizes are found in the range of 14.315 and 22.129nm. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that Sm1-xSrxFeO3 remains as an orthorhombic structure of space group Pbnm within the whole doping range. The improvement of the magnetic and structural properties of the investigated multiferroic is achieved due to the changes in the tolerance factor as well as crystallite size caused by strontium substitution. The magnetic data show that either the antiferromagnetic (AFM) or ferromagnetic (FM) interactions can be dominant depending on the Sr2+ ion concentration. However, doping by Sr2+ reduces energy loss by more than 83%. On the other hand, the anisotropy constant and coercivity are decreased by more than 75% and 60%, respectively. Finally, one can recommend the use of such orthoferrite in electronic industry and different microwave components.