Structural phase diagram and magnetic properties of Sc-substituted rare earth ferrites R1-xScxFeO3 (R=Lu, Yb, Er, and Ho)

TL;DR

This study explores the structural stability and magnetic properties of Sc-substituted rare earth ferrites R1-xScxFeO3, revealing different stable phases depending on the rare earth element and composition.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive phase diagram for R1-xScxFeO3, identifying stable structures and their magnetic characteristics based on R and x.

Findings

Hexagonal structure stable for Lu and Yb at x=0.5

Garnet structure stable for Er and Ho at x=0.5

Magnetic properties support garnet formation with Sc occupancy

Abstract

We have studied the structural stability of Sc-substituted rare earth (R) ferrites R1-xScxFeO3, and constructed a structural phase diagram for different R and x. While RFeO3 and ScFeO3 adopt the orthorhombic and the bixbyite structure respectively, the substituted compound R1-xScxFeO3 may be stable in a different structure. Specifically, for R0.5Sc0.5FeO3, the hexagonal structure can be stable for small R, such as Lu and Yb, while the garnet structure is stable for larger R, such as Er and Ho. The formation of garnet structure of the R0.5Sc0.5FeO3 compounds which requires that Sc occupies both the rare earth and the Fe sites, is corroborated by their magnetic properties.